Bette June Johnson

Bette Johnson passed away peacefully at her home in College Station, Texas, on March 6, 2026. As she left this life, her daughters Patsy and Andrea held her hands, while her husband Don received communion at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Bette was the middle child of Irish triplets and the fifth of eight children born to Canadian immigrants Rita Helen Traynor and Jacob Joseph Probe. She and her siblings were first-generation Americans who grew up in a close-knit Catholic family, attending St. Mary of Redford Catholic Church and school from first through twelfth grade. Bette met her future husband, Don Johnson, when they were paired as dance partners in their high school operetta, Brigadoon. They began dating soon after and married on January 25, 1964.

The couple settled first in Inkster, Michigan, where they welcomed children Billy, Patsy, and Donna. While raising her own three children and caring for six foster children, Bette attended night school and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Childhood Development from Madonna University in 1975. In 1976, Don’s work brought the family to Texas, where they made their home in Nassau Bay, near Bette’s older brother Don Probe and St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. Over the next four decades, Bette served her parish in many roles, including as a CCE teacher, Parish Council member, Eucharistic Minister, and ACTS Retreat leader.

In Texas, Bette taught preschool at Gloria Dei before running a home daycare after the birth of their youngest daughter, Andrea, in 1978. The Johnson home was once again filled with children, and they later welcomed Bette’s niece, Ann Lambert, into their family. Bette continued her education, earning a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Development from the University of Houston Clear Lake in 1987. She then fulfilled her longtime dream by becoming a first-grade teacher at McWhirter Elementary, where she taught for more than twenty-five years. A dedicated educator, she became one of Clear Creek ISD’s first certified Reading Recovery teachers and a State of Texas Master Teacher. She worked tirelessly to support her students, securing spirit shirts, recruiting volunteers, establishing a free vaccination program, and leading the effort to replace outdated playground equipment with a $311,000 grant that created Spark Park.

Bette also served her community as an EMT and later Medical Chief with the Nassau Bay Volunteer Fire Department for twenty-three years, and she contributed to the St. John Hospital Ethics Committee and coordinated Gulf Coast Blood Drives for over a decade, personally donating more than ten gallons of blood. Elected to the Nassau Bay City Council in 2002, she served until 2010, including as Mayor Pro Tem, and played key roles in enhancing NASA Parkway, managing appropriations, and redesigning the city’s business center.

She is preceded in death by her daughter Donna Johnson; her parents, Rita and Jake Probe; siblings Don Probe, Joanne Sinkowski, Mary Jean Klebba, Nancy Lambert, and Alice Norman; nephews Brian Norman, Tim Sinkowski, and Tom Sinkowski; niece Kathy Bloink; and son-in-law John B. Van Huyck.

Bette is survived by her husband of sixty-two years, Don Johnson; son Bill Johnson and daughter-in-law Bridget Long, along with grandchildren Mark Johnson and his wife Taylor, and Alex Colón and her husband Malcom; daughter Patsy Johnson and grandsons Carl, Don, and Bennett Van Huyck; daughter Andrea Brown and son-in-law Aaron Brown, along with granddaughters Avery and Sophia Brown; her siblings John Probe and Rita Jackson; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and honorary nieces and nephews.