Obituary of Cantrell Johnson

"Bettye Red" Cantrell Johnson July 27, 1926 - February 12, 2015 Funeral services for Bettye Laverne “Bettye Red” Cantrell Johnson, 88, of Farmington and formerly of Lovington, NM will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 2:00 pm at Kirby-Smith-Rogers Funeral Home Chapel with David Villar officiating. Burial will follow at Lovington Cemetery. Bettye was born in Ft. Worth, Texas to Francis Marion and Ruby Estell (VanMeter) Cantrell on July 27, 1926 and passed away in Farmington on February 12, 2015. She graduated from Lamesa High School in 1944 and moved to New Mexico in 1946 where she lived in Artesia, Roswell and Lovington. In 1998 she moved to Farmington, NM to live closer to her friends, John and Celestia Keeling and family. During her time in Lovington she worked at “The Photo Hut”, babysat children and served pizza at the Holiday. Bettye went to church a lot as a child and joined First Baptist Church when she was 13 years old. In later years she was baptized at First Baptist Church, Kirkland, where she was a member there until her death. She loved her church and the ladies of her Sunday School Class. She enjoyed entertaining at her house and she did a lot of it. Country music was her life and she loved it. If you had trivia in regards to country music, you can bet she knew the answer. She ran around with Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell and went to school with Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright of Bonanza). Buck Taylor, who played Newly on Gunsmoke came to her house one evening, just to get away from the crowd and relax with down home family, listening to music and playing guitars. She enjoyed bowling and was very good at it. She enjoyed crocheting and crafts and joking around and she had a wonderful sense of humor and was always the life of the party. She decorated cakes, did plastic canvas and the people around her apartment called her the “fix it” lady. She was one of the most caring people and her zest for life made her a special person and she will be greatly missed. Her love for Jesus and for friends and family was tremendous. She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister: Norma Hamrick and three brothers: J.D., Jerry and Jimmy Cantrell. She is survived by her caregiver and “adopted daughter of love” Verna and husband Charles Hickman of Farmington, NM; two brothers: Bill and wife Virginia Cantrell of California and Kenneth Cantrell of Phoenix, AZ; one sister-in-law: Betty Cantrell of Lovington, NM; nine nieces and their families and five nephews and their families and numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews and a host of friends. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 from 10:00 am until 8:00 pm at the funeral home.