Our beloved mother, Kathy Lynn Lauderdale Johnson, was born in Torrance, California, on
January 15, 1947, as the only daughter of Paul and Echo June Ryan Lauderdale.  She died on October 19, 2019, at the age of 72 years in her home on the family farm west of Yale.  She is survived by her two children, Joshua Johnson of Tulsa, and Jaime Lynn Jurgensen and her husband, Tim, of Irvine, California.  Other survivors include her brother, Mark Lauderdale and his wife, Susan, of Yale, and her special friend, Jack Stacy, of Tulsa.   Kathy was preceded in death by her parents.

Kathy's early years were spent in Yale where she graduated from high school in 1965.  She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Yale, where as a child she accepted Christ as her Savior. Later, she attended Oklahoma State University where she was a member of Tri Delta sorority and Fashion Board.  In 1968, Kathy was crowned OSU Homecoming Queen.  Upon graduation, she moved to California, and after a brief stint as a blackjack dealer in Lake Tahoe, she began a lifelong career in retail. Kathy married Mark Johnson in 1972, and became a homemaker. The Johnsons began their family in Sacramento, having Joshua first in 1976 and then Jaime Lynn in 1979.  After her children were older, she returned to retail where during the late 1980's, Kathy was selected as Business Person of the Year by the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce.  She eventually worked in Louisiana and Oklahoma where she was a store manager for Renberg's, Dillards, and Foleys. Kathy made her way back to her roots in Oklahoma where she went to work for the OSU Human Resources Department.  She became a loyal and true Cowboy fan, cheering on her team on the football field and the basketball court.

Kathy will be remembered by her family and friends for her generosity toward others, her love of gardening and the outdoors, her scrumptious cooking, and her skills as a talented chocolatier.  Her family delighted in her beautiful homemade candy gifts that she lovingly gave each Christmas.  Her creativity also extended to ceramics, sewing, and decorating her home. Kathy was a woman of great resilience and came from a legacy of strong women of faith, which carried her through the difficulties of life.  She will be missed by her family and friends.

A graveside memorial celebration of Kathy's life will be held at Lawson Cemetery at 11:00AM on Saturday, October 26, under the direction of Palmer Marler Funeral Home of Cushing.