Funeral services for Mrs. Lillian June Hooks-Johnson of Brooklyn, New York will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church 8620 GA Hwy 26E, Montezuma, Georgia with Reverend Gail Haliburton officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery.
Lillian June Hooks-Johnson, affectionately known as June, daughter of the late John W. Dixon and Evelyn Bell-Dixon was born January 7, 1935 in Oglethorpe, Georgia. She was the eldest of nine children. She attended Garden Valley Elementary School in Macon County and Reynolds High School in Taylor County. She attended Rocky Mount Methodist Church with her father and Corinth Baptist Church with her mother. At an early age, she showed resilience and strength by being the first woman to work in her father’s field as a truck driver transporting cotton to the gin.
On June 7, 1953, she married the late Deacon Charles Hooks. From this union, they were blessed with Reverend Gail Halliburton, Terri Hunter, Franshayla Hooks and Timothy Hooks. Shortly after getting married, she migrated to New York with her late husband and friends, Deacon Charles Hooks, Louis Bryant and Reverend Willie R. Bryant.
In 1964, they joined the Little Zion Baptist Church, under the leadership of the late Reverend G.B. Crawley, then later from 1977 to 1999 under the leadership of the late Reverend Dr. Willie R. Bryant. Her roles in ministry included: membership in the Gospel Chorus, Deaconess Board and the Building Fund Committee.
After graduating, she pursued her career as a nurse. She worked as a LPN at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens. She later received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at Medgar Evers College. After becoming a RN, she worked at numerous hospitals and facilities throughout the Brooklyn and Queens area. She retired from V.A. Hospital in St. Albans, Queens. Caring for others was her passion. She showed this by helping to raise her nieces and nephews.
In 1999, she married the late Reverend Jesse O. Johnson, pastor of the Mount Sion Baptist Church. She served as First Lady and on the Deaconess Board. From this union, she was blessed with six more children, two of which she helped raise: Keisha Ricketts and Shannon Johnson.
Lillian will always be remembered as a feisty, sassy diva. She was a dedicated, loving wife and mother. She would help anyone and everyone who had been in need at one time or another. Her doors were opened 24/7 to anyone in need. She enjoyed shopping at her favorite stores, buying her infamous church hats, and getting her hair and nails done. She was one of a kind.
Cherished memories are left in the hearts of her children: Reverend Gail (Henry) Halliburton, Terri (Andre) Hunter, Keisha (Ricardo) Ricketts, Franshayla Hooks, Timothy Hooks and Shannon Johnson; four grandsons: Kaalen and Khaalid Jackson, Branden McLaughlin, Jr., and Zachary Ricketts; one granddaughter, Wynter Worthy; five godchildren: Jacqueline Lamb, Takia VanAllen and Bernard (Cynthia) Lewis and their children: Bernie, Tiffany and Daniel; three sisters: Nancy Jones, Grace Flowers and Janet Dixon; four brothers: Ernest (Verna) Dixon, Charlie Roy (Angela) Dixon and John Westly (Ruth) Dixon; a host of loving nieces, nephews, other loving relatives and caring friends.