Margaret Blythe Johnson, beloved mother to Jennifer and cherished “Mema” to Sam Holt, passed peacefully to eternity in heaven on November 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. Margaret is no longer in pain or suffering from the ten long weeks of hospitalization from pancreatitis or the five years of paralysis in her legs. Margaret loved people, and her extroverted personality made her a shining beacon of light and God’s grace. She was a woman of courage, bravery, and determination as she has exhibited grace and strength though every stage of her pain. She cared deeply, served hospitably, and her heart of service is a model for those around her.

Margaret was preceded in death by her husband, Samuel Johnson, and her parents, Verdell Matthews Blythe and Leon Elias Blythe. She is survived by daughter, Jennifer (Brian) Holt; grandson, Sam Holt (11); brother, Jimmy (Judy) Blythe; nephew, Jimmy (Amy) Blythe, Jr., and niece, Penny Blythe Williams.

Margaret grew up in rural Eastern NC, with her brother, Jimmy. She drove a school bus, worked at her parents’ cotton gin, played basketball, and was a cheerleader at Seaboard High School where she graduated in 1960. She knew the love of her life from an early age, growing up in the same community and attending school with him. Samuel Earl Johnson crashed her Sweet Sixteen party, wearing blue suede shoes and asking the birthday girl for a dance. Six years later, they married in 1964. Her father made her promise she would finish her Bachelor’s degree in Education at East Carolina University before the wedding. She kept her promise, graduated early in December, and married April 12, 1964 at age 22.

They lived several years in Raleigh and Garner, then finally settled just outside Rocky Mount, NC to build their home in Battleboro. They lived in that happy home together for 31 years, making a tremendous impact on the people there through her giving spirit and dedication to the Lord.For well over 30 years, Margaret taught children, youth, adults, and whoever needed her. She sang in the choir and led the WMU in our Battleboro Baptist Church. Before motherhood and for about ten years after Jennifer was in middle school, Margaret was a public school teacher who taught keyboarding, general business, and accounting courses to high school and middle school children. One of her favorite pastimes was sitting on the deck of her Lake Gaston, NC home, enjoying the view of the water.

Her family was truly the center of her world. She was a beautiful picture of a wife of noble character, clothed with strength and dignity, and a woman who can laugh at the future because her trust is in the Lord. She loved her nephew, Jimmy Blythe, and his sister, Penny Blythe Williams, like they were her own while she and Sam patiently waited on the Lord’s timing. After eleven years of infertility, their only daughter, Jennifer Elizabeth was welcomed to the world. Margaret was a selfless, caring mother who stayed at home, caring for Jennifer’s every need. Her time was filled with volunteer work at Jennifer’s school and in her church. Within five weeks of young Sam Holt’s birth, Margaret and Sam had sold their house and moved from their NC roots to join that grandson in Tennessee. She has been living in the Nashville area for the last eleven years, five of those with Brian, Jennifer, and Sam. She was privileged to serve at Crievewood Baptist Church in their WMU Ministry.

Visitation and funeral services were held on November 16, 2017 in Nashville, TN. The family invites you to join as they have planned a receiving of family & friends on Sunday afternoon at Seaboard Baptist Church, Seaboard, NC, from 1:30-2:45 p.m. prior to the funeral. A Graveside Celebration of Life will be conducted Sunday, November 19, 2017, at 3:00 p.m.at Seaboard Cemetery in Seaboard, NC. Askew Funeral & Cremation Service Jackson Chapel in Jackson, NC is helping the family with arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Begin Anew of Middle Tennessee, 401 Main Street, Nashville, TN 37206 or the WMU Ministries of Crievewood Baptist Church, 480 Hogan Road, Nashville, TN 37220.

The family’s hearts are deeply saddened as we see Margaret pass from this Earthly home to her eternal home in Heaven, but they celebrate that she is now whole with a strong and healthy body that can walk in the presence of Jesus. We do not grieve without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). She is praising the Father now, dancing with Sam in his blue suede shoes while singing songs of loudest praise. Margaret expressed her desires about this service very clearly in her last days. She wanted us to spend these days following her death remembering her life here on Earth, but above all, she wants everyone to celebrate that she is now safe in the arms of Jesus worshiping Him for eternity, reunited with those she loves who’ve gone on before her.