LaNelle Henderson Johnson, 101, passed away June 4, 2026, in Houston. She was born on January 24, 1925, in Lampasas, Texas. She was the child of J. D. Henderson and Lela Law. Her mother died when she was three years old, and her grandmother took care of her until her father remarried to Eleanor Wright. LaNelle graduated from Evant High School and went on to Tarleton College in Stephenville, Texas. She was able to get a student license to fly airplanes.

LaNelle met Raymond Gordon Johnson, and they married in 1943. He was in the army, and after their first child Laurie was born, he received new orders for the Pacific. Mother went to live with her Aunt Ophie. Together they were Roto Router women at an airplane factory. La Nelle would work one shift while Aunt Ophie took care of the baby, and then Aunt Ophie would work the next shift. Later they moved to West Texas. La Nelle worked as a cosmetologist; she also worked in the family store. When the children were grown up, she worked at Texas Tech University and Chevron after they moved back to Houston.

She is preceded in life by Ray, Laurie, Jeff, and her half-brother Willis and half-sister Lora.

LaNelle is survived by her daughters Raylene and her husband Walter and Jo Ann, her youngest daughter.

She is survived by grandchildren Chris and his wife Amy, Rick and his wife Amy, Kyle, Dustin and his wife Kristin, Josh and his wife Jenny, Jake, Brandon and his wife Leah. Her great grandchildren were Zane, Noah, Mary, Hallie, Ezra, Silas, Grace, Isaac, Audrey, Elise, Hunter, and Iris.