Celebration of Life services will be convened at the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Bermuda Saturday, June 7, 2014, 11:30 a. m. with burial following in the church's cemetery. The remains will lie in state at the funeral home Saturday morning for public visitation from 8:00 a. m. to 10:40 a. m.

Obituary

"Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith…. It is the price of LOVE".
~Unknown

A wonderful and beautiful life came to a close on Friday, May 30, 2014, as Mattie Grace Johnson Anthony Demars quietly departed this life after 60 years to be with our Lord and Savior. She was born on October 13, 1953 to the late Hoover Johnson, Sr. and Izema Claiborne Johnson in Bermuda, La. She was baptized at an early age at St. Paul Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. P.M. Gillie. Mattie was a member of the Combine Choir, at one time church announcer, and occasionally taught vacation bible school. Her most prevalent passion was the Senior Citizen program in which she sponsored for many years.
Mattie graduated from St. Matthew High school in 1971 and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education as well as a Master plus Thirty Degree from Northwestern State University. She was a teacher at Parks Elementary, St. Matthew Junior High School, Springhill Elementary, and Cloutierville Elementary/Junior High schools, and then later became Master Teacher at Provencal and L.P. Vaughn schools. She was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1986 from St. Matthew Junior High school and also received Teacher of the Year in 1996, 1997, and 2005 from Cloutierville Elementary/Junior High School. She received an Outstanding Service Award as Peer Helper, Certificate of Service in the field of Education from the School Board in 2011, Service Award in 2013 from Sheriff Victor Jones for 36 years as an Educator, and was recognized for Outstanding Service in the Community as an Educator by the Police Jury in 2013.
Mattie was united in marriage to her first husband, the late Lee Murray Anthony, Sr., to this union one amazing son was born, Lee Anthony, Jr. She later married Lloyd Demars on July 1, 1995.
Mattie was preceded in death by her father, Hoover Johnson, Sr., and both maternal and paternal grandparents.
She leaves the following loved ones to cherish her memories: husband, Lloyd Demars; her loving mother Izema Claiborne Johnson; one son, Lee (Alana) Anthony, Jr. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; one brother, Hoover (Trudy) Johnson, Jr. of Charleston, South Carolina; two sisters, Alice (Ray) Harris of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Bobbie (Garland) Smith of Natchitoches, Louisiana; one beautiful grand-daughter A'yana Leigh Anthony; one uncle, James (Clara) Johnson of Natchitoches, Louisiana; four aunts, Vera (Arnett) Jones of Houston, Texas, Willie Sanders of Houston, Texas, Ruthie Johnson of Alexandria, Louisiana, and Ora Bass of Oakland, California, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends who loved her dearly.