Bonita Rachel Johnson was born on December 3, 1939, to Paul Neil and Lucille Pittman Rachel in London, Arkansas. She passed away on August 15, 2026, in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Bonita grew up in Lamar, Arkansas, where she was an outstanding basketball player, accompanied the choir and graduated co-valedictorian of the Lamar High School Class of 1957. She attended the College of the Ozarks and married her high school sweetheart and the love of her life, Alan Johnson.

Bonita and Alan were married for 54 years and made homes in Fayetteville, Fort Worth, College Station and Ruston before settling in Little Rock, where they lived for 42 years. They were devoted members of their church and generous volunteers, working in food pantries, serving on committees, driving elderly members to church services, and crocheting blankets for those who were sick or homebound.

Bonita worked in bookkeeping and medical office management, but the role she treasured most was caring for her family. Known as Nini, she was a loving wife, mother and grandmother and a favorite caregiver when one of her grandchildren was sick. She could usually be counted on to convince their parents that one more sick day at Nini’s house was necessary.

Some of her favorite memories were made visiting her daughter in Finland, where she somehow managed to acquire a British accent. She was kind, generous, always ready to help and rarely without one of her beautiful smiles.

Bonita loved a good game of bridge, dominoes, spite and malice, and had what her family considered questionable card counting tendencies. She was a talented seamstress and an excellent cook. Her chocolate pies were legendary, and her family tried to replicate every step of the recipe. Close attention was required, as her recipes often included instructions like “3 bloops of ketchup” and “just enough until it looks right”. Nini-isms like “Look down my throat and say ah”, “Aber and Crombie”, and the unintentional s’s in breaksfasts, Sonics, and Walmarts, became a shared family language.

Bonita is preceded in death by her husband Alan, and her parents.

She is survived by her daughter Alnita Carroll and husband Phillip of Ruston, Louisiana; Stacie Holloway and husband John of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Emily Johnson and husband Juuso Jankama of Tampere, Finland; grandchildren Brooke Lemchak and husband Keith, Lisa Harrison and husband Nick, Lauren Lowe and husband Ryan, Lindsey Wasylik and husband Nick, Kaleigh Jackson and husband David, John Patrick Holloway and partner Tyler Stewart; great-grandchildren Alli and Riley Lowe, Emma and Eli Smith, Patrick Harrison, Luke, Alex, and Elizabeth Lemchak, Nora Jackson, and Arnie Wasylik

She is also survived by her sisters Wanda Sanders and husband Phillip, and Joyce Strope and husband Leon.

A private family celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary Baptist Church, P.O Box 81, Ruston, LA 71271-0081.

Our family extends its sincere gratitude to Bonita’s special caregiver, Barbara Gipson, who became a dear friend and confidant, as well as the staff of the Terrace of Ruston for the loving care they provided, and to St. Joseph Hospice, Premier Hospice, and Haven Home Health for their compassionate end-of-life-care.