Betty Jean (Wisely) Johnson

Betty Jean Wisely Johnson was born September 16, 1929 to parents Utha and William Wisely in Wellington, Colorado.  Betty died from Covid on November 25 in Nampa, Idaho. Betty moved with her family to Nampa, Idaho in 1943.  After graduating from Nampa High School in 1947 she worked for the Mountain Bell Telephone company. Betty married Sumner M. Johnson, the love of her life, October 10, 1950.  She and Sumner were married for 66 years.  They courted at baseball games and enjoyed many years of dancing and traveling together.  The focus of Betty’s life was supporting Sumner, and their children and grandchildren. An incredibly involved mom and grandmother, Betty never missed an athletic event, music production or school event of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She and Sumner would often drive a car full of children and friends to games and events held out-of-town. She frequently entertained family members and friends in her home and at the beloved family cabin she and Sumner built in 1973 in Featherville.  Her lovely home was the location for holiday gatherings, usually with a fresh flower arrangement on the dining table.  She enjoyed hosting summer gatherings on their patio and at their cabin. Betty made friends easily and kept them for a lifetime.  She enjoyed playing in several bridge groups and spending time with a large group of close friends.  In recent years she enjoyed playing games with new and longtime friends in the locations where she resided. Betty belonged to the music groups Majors and Minors and the Musettes and enjoyed singing and performing in their productions.  She enjoyed all types of music and often attended musical performances at NNU and the Morrison Center. A lover of sports, when she wasn’t attending a sporting event of a child or grandchild, it would not be unusual for her to have one game on the TV and a different one on the radio – at the same time. Before she passed she asked her family to remember her when watching football. Betty was a great mother and grandmother, the kind that would read stories while holding a child on her lap in a rocking chair.  She also loved to play games with her grandchildren and spend time with them making special holiday recipes. She was a beloved aunt, enjoying visits with nieces and nephews.  One of her favorite activities was the Wisely Reunions, often held at the cabin in Featherville.  Betty was always ready to participate in the reunion fun and games (including horseshoes and Wisely Olympics), and to don a costume for the “theme” event. Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Sumner, and her brother, Donald Wisely.  She is survived by her children Lynn Johnson (Priscilla Silvers), Renee Johnson (Sarah Miller), Becky Johnson (Kirk Kennedy), and Nancy Johnson-Cassulo (Pete Cassulo); grandchildren Amelia Hernandez (George Hernandez), and Lucy Johnson (Rob Ortiz); and great grandchildren Charlie and Georgie Hernandez; her brother Larry and his wife Marilyn; and many nieces and nephews and their families. 

A graveside service will be held for the immediate family.  A celebration of Betty’s life may be planned for a future date, when it is safe to gather. 

Betty’s family thanks the staff of Grace Assisted Living in Caldwell and the Nampa St Luke’s Hospital for the care and compassion they provided Betty in the past months and during her recent hospitalization. 

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Everyday Angels at www.stlukesonline.org/about-st-lukes/donate-or-volunteer/honor-your-st-lukes-caregiver/everyday-angels, the COVID-19 Nursing Student Support Fund https://www.aacnnursing.org/Foundation-for-Academic-Nursing/Donate, or the charity of your choice.

Cards of condolence may be sent to Nancy Johnson-Cassulo, 3022 Ray Ave., Caldwell, ID 83605.

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