Frances LaVerne Johns (nee Douglas)

Frances LaVerne Johnson (nee Douglas) was born in Jonesboro in 1923 at the home of her grandfather, Dr. Andrew J. Lyerly.

Fran grew up in Anna.  She was the daughter of Jasper and Frances Lyerly Douglas.  She was a student at the Davie School.  

As a young woman she dreamed of being a missionary. In 1945 she continued her education at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. There she met Harry D. Johns. They started married life in 1947 in Rush Hill, Mo.  

Harry was an ordained minister; they had a church nearby.  Fran taught school.  

In 1955 Harry joined the Navy and they began to travel, moving every one to three years: Virginia, North Carolina, Kansas, three years in Japan, California and Maryland.  

Fran embraced yoga, psychology (including transactional analysis), international cooking and Deepak Chopra. She was always reading and seeking to expand her awareness.  

She retired in 2016 to the Knollwood Military Retirement Community in Washington, D.C., and passed away in 2023 at the age of 99.  

She is survived by her children, Douglas Johns and Susan Johns Smith; and by her grandchildren, Clare Smith and Ella “Effy” Popelka.