Merri Alice Johnson

A "Celebration of Life" service to remember Merri Alice Johnson will be 3:30pm on Saturday, July 31st Council Road Baptist Church Chapel—-2900 N Council Rd. Bethany, OK 73008 In Honor of Merri, please wear bright colors. Sympathy floral arrangements or gifts, sent to the church, must arrive prior to noon Friday, July 30th. Merri was quickly and peacefully called to her eternal home, ultimately due to Metastatic Adenocarcinoma, on Sunday, July 11th with her family surrounding her. Merri was born on June 20th, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, to Charles and Helen Pack. Merri was the 5th of 7 children. She would describe her childhood, as a Pastors kid in the 50's as very "colorful"! In 1967, at the age of 16 she married Michael Brown. Merri birthed three daughters; Heather, Tiffany, and Letitia. As a military wife she moved often with her family to such places as Choctaw OK, El Paso TX, Tacoma WA, Stuttgart Germany, and finally Lawton OK. Merri was always devoted to her family being involved directly in the interests of her husband and children. She volunteered in many roles as hostess, den mother, children's choir leader, PTA, and more. She was especially talented, creative, and resourceful at all things domestic. She could cook, clean, sew, garden, and repurpose anything with the best of them! Her Church ministry work began in 1980 at Carriage Hills Christian Church in Lawton Oklahoma, developing children's programs. In 1987 she became a single parent through divorce and God carried her through and to a new place. On August 5th, 1988, she married John T. Johnson in Lawton, OK, where they joined their families and began their life together, adding two daughters, Beverly and Kathy. John and Merri enjoyed serving in their church, Trinity Baptist, where Merri led the "Promise Singers" Children's Choir for many years, sang in the church choir, served as a cook at Falls Creek for the youth group, and led Bible School. Together, John and Merri often enjoyed hosting the single's group and the youth group in their home and they spent hours discipling and teaching others about the love of the Lord. They enjoyed working together in their electrical business, J & M Electric, as they used their combined talents to bless others. In 1997, she and John sold their home, purchased a fifth wheel RV to live in, and joined the Mission Service Corps to become full time missionaries. Their US missions included California, Alabama, Canada, Texas, Oklahoma and all points in between, while continuing their ongoing devotion to their family. In 2001 they answered the call to overseas missions by serving as missionaries in Malawi, Africa. Merri served as hostess for many mission teams and assisted John in the teaching of English during their stay in Africa. She loved her time there and often would talk of her adventures and her desire to one day return. John and Merri returned to the US in 2007, purchased a home and became devoted members and leaders at Council Road Baptist Church in Oklahoma City where they facilitated divorce care, led many small groups, sang in the choir, and continued stateside mission work through the Southern Baptist Convention. More than mission work outside the home, her number one mission was spending time with and loving on her crazy big family! Doing everything she knew to share the Love of Jesus with them. She tried to attend as many birthdays, sporting & school events as possible in her effort to make everyone feel important and connected! The last several years were spent serving in a different capacity as Merri cared for her beloved husband, John, when he became ill in 2012. She cared for him at home until his passing in January of 2020. Since John's passing, she was excitedly pursuing what God had next for her and spent most of her time traveling to be with her very large family. She Loved everyone deeply. She was preceded in death by both of her parents, her brother Carl Pack, and her husband of 32 years, John Johnson. Merri is survived by: Her "Bonus Mom" Dian Pack Brothers: John Pack and wife Sheryl, David Pack and Wife Kathy, Sisters: Janet Stambaugh and husband Andy, Susan Heck and husband Doug, Sandi Liersch, Her daughters: Heather McFarland and husband Creel; Beverly Sholedice; Tiffany Vidaurreta, and husband Adam; Kathy Collins and husband Kevin; and Letitia Whitmore and husband Robert. Her grandchildren: Zacariah Soesbee, Caleb Mcfarland, Krista McFarland, Britani Tripp, Nicole Soesbee, Issiac Clark, Dakota Berthelot, Tearza Hanson, Victoria Wayman, Sean Clark, Taylor Clark, Jazmeen Loafman, Sierra Pascoe, Noah Collins, Isabella Whitmore, Alexandria Whitmore, Gabriela Whitmore, Marcus Whitmore, and Jeffery Whitmore. Her Great-Grandchildren: Payton Whyte, Jaxyn Whyte, Charlie Whitmore, Emmett Tripp, Asher Loafman, Alina Loafman, Amara Loafman, and soon-to-arrive Seth Pascoe; along with many close friends, extended family, other loved ones and Longtime Friend, Beverly John.   Merri had a contagious smile, an insatiable zest for life, an energetic spirit and a seemingly unceasing ability to sacrificially care for others. She wanted everyone to feel loved, included and know without a doubt that Jesus loved them, even more magnanimously, than she did. What a legacy of Love for the Lord and unconditional love for others Merri leaves for all of us. Not a perfect life, but a true representation of a life lived in pursuit of what Jesus said was the most important commandment, set for us in Mark 12:30-31 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Offer CondolencePrint