Nancy Lee Reed Johnson

Nancy Lee Reed Johnson, age 91, entered her eternal home on Sunday July 5th, 2026, passing away peacefully surrounded by family and loved ones.

Nancy’s story began on January 6th, 1935, where she was born in her grandparents’ farmhouse in Oglesby, Texas – which still stands today. The daughter of the late Clara Walter Reed and John Baxter (J.B.) Reed, she grew up in the area and graduated from Moody ISD. On Halloween night in 1953, she married the love of her life, Johnny Johnson.

In 1970, tragedy struck when Johnny passed away, leaving Nancy a young widow with five children aged 15 down to 8. Armed with a fierce streak of independence, Nancy also relied on her faith to navigate the challenging years ahead. She never remarried, carrying a quiet, lifelong longing to see her beloved Johnny again.

To know Nancy, affectionately known as “Granny”, was to know a woman who could truly do it all. You’d find Granny either working on her pastureland in Oglesby, tending to her cattle, driving a tractor, and helping lay new sections of fence – or enjoying visits with her friends and family, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

In tandem with ranch life, Nancy enjoyed a rewarding, 37-year career at Baylor University in the Pre-Med Undergraduate Admissions department. Before her retirement in 2010, she advised hundreds of students, proudly accompanying them on trips to visit medical programs across the country and abroad to include Great Britain, Austria, and Puerto Rico. Her time at Baylor yielded many unforgettable memories, from posing fearlessly with Baylor’s live black bear mascots, Linus and Lucy, to a legendary incident in downtown Waco where she physically fought off an attempted carjacker, after she’d gone out for a sandwich run for the office. When a doomed thief attempted to steal her new minivan, Granny called his bluff – and much to his shock, grabbed the man by his jacket and rallied passers-by to make a citizen’s arrest. “There was no way that little twit was about to get my van,” she later told a thunderstruck News Channel 10 reporter. “Or these good sandwiches.”

When she wasn’t wrangling carjackers or cattle, Nancy enjoyed numerous crafts throughout her life, and was a gifted seamstress, quilter, crocheter, ceramics artist, and excellent home cook, with a particular knack for desserts. She was also the self-appointed caretaker of her family’s history with a deep passion for genealogy, and collected a number of treasured photos and stories, tracing the family’s lineage well back into the 1700’s, including dozens of ancestral records, and accounts from Germany. Few things brought Granny as much joy as the opportunity to share tales from the family’s history; a history that usually came with an original photograph to match.

A faithful member of the Gatesville Church of Christ, Nancy’s proudest legacy was her family. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Johnny; her daughter, Malinda Kay Orand; her brothers, Walter Reed and James “Baxter” Reed; and her son-in-law, Steven Wayne Richter.

She is survived by her children: Dwayne (Lisa) Johnson of Hallsville, TX; Randy (Cathy) Johnson of Oglesby, TX; Gary (Gail) Johnson of Gatesville, TX; and Gayle Richter of Oglesby, TX. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren: Jason (Melissa) Johnson, Kristi (Andy) Adams, Robert (Jessica) Brown, Kevin (Amanda) Johnson, John Jacob (Sara) Johnson, Amanda (Hector) Ibanez, Kari (Clint) Newman, Jeremy (Lisa) Orand, Garrett (Emily) Johnson, Glynna (Corey) Simmons, Jennifer (Kyle) Fisher, Anna (Jeremy) Hughes, Chad (Jera) Freeman, Kori Camp, Kalyn Camp – as well as 28 cherished great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family also extends their deepest, heartfelt gratitude to Home Instead, Dr. Adrian Dirk, The Meadows, and New Century Hospice for their compassionate and dedicated care.

As we come together to honor and remember the life of our feisty matriarch, we invite family and friends to join us for visitation Friday, July 10th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm at Scott’s Funeral Home, in Gatesville. Graveside services will be held at Moody Cemetery on Saturday, July 11th at 9:00 am, where Nancy will be laid to rest. A reception will be held at Gatesville Church of Christ, 2417 E. Main St., Gatesville, following graveside services.

Pallbearers honoring her will be: Jason Johnson, John Johnson, Robert Brown, Jeremy Orand, Garrett Johnson, Corey Simmons, and Hector Ibanez.

Flowers are welcomed at Scott’s Funeral Home on Friday, July 10th. Donations in lieu of flowers may also be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, in honor of Nancy Lee Reed Johnson.

For those unable to attend visitation and graveside services, the family invites you to remember Nancy by listening to some of her favorite songs, which will be featured during her services: “It Is Well With My Soul”, “Precious Memories”, “Silver Wings” by Merle Haggard, and “How Great Thou Art” by the Statler Brothers.

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Some of the family’s fondest memories of Granny include delicious desserts from her kitchen. For decades, Granny kept a handwritten recipe for chocolate pie taped securely inside her kitchen cabinet door. To honor her, the family would now like to share it with you.

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Granny’s Pie Crust

(Serves 1 pie)

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 5 – 7 Tablespoons cold water
• ½ cup shortening

Directions:

Mix well, then roll onto a floured surface. NOTE: The less you have to work with the dough, the flakier the crust will be.

Pre-bake the crusts: Roll out the dough into 2, 9-inch pie pans, prick the bottoms all over with a fork (to keep them from bubbling up), and bake them at 400°F to 425°F for about 10 – 12 minutes until they are lightly golden brown. Cool slightly. (REDUCE OVEN temp to 300F, to prepare for pie).

Granny’s Tip: The less you work with the dough, the flakier the crust will be. (Note: If making the full filling recipe below, double these crust ingredients to make two pies. In a pinch, you can use thawed, store-bought pie shells baked per package instructions until lightly golden brown.)

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Chocolate Pie

(Serves 2 pies)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 4 cups milk
• 6 beaten egg yolks (separate and save the egg whites for meringue)
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• 14 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 Tablespoon good, Mexican vanilla

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients first: sugar, cornstarch, flour, salt, and cocoa together.

In a large, heavy sauce pan, add 3 cups of milk. Then stir in dry ingredients with a whisk.

Mix remaining 1 cup of milk, to beaten egg yolks, and add to saucepan.

Over low heat, gently stir mixture until it becomes lumpy (stirring constantly) – then remove from heat.

Use beaters to smooth out lumps, then pour into baked pie shells.

Bake at 300F for ~30 minutes; remove from oven. Raise oven temp to 400F, then top with meringue and brown in oven 5-10 minutes.

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Meringue (serves 2 pies)

Ingredients:

• 6 egg whites
• 9 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Using beaters, beat until fluffy. Top your two pies with meringue, then pop back into the 400F degree oven, for about 5 minutes to brown the meringue. NOTE: the more you beat, the LESS fluffy.

Granny’s chocolate pies are truly delicious hot or cold, but our family enjoys them best chilled in the fridge. From our family to yours, enjoy!