Leota was born on May 10, 1937, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Henry and Hazel Huelshorst. She died July 23, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Leota was preceded in death by her parents, and her first husband, Dennis A. Burson, Jr. She is survived by her husband, C. Kenneth (Ken) Johnson, of Tulsa, OK; her daughter, Jeanna Simmons, and husband, Jeff, of Heath, MA; her son, Henry Allen Burson, of Denver, CO; grandchildren: Ashley Foroughirad of Portland, ME, Vivienne Foroughirad of Washington DC, Falina Foroughirad of Amherst, MA, Brandon Simmons of Roanoke, TX; Dennis Simmons and Savannah Simmons of Heath, MA; and Nichole Ferguson of Broken Arrow, OK; her sister, Ruth Ann Trice, and husband, John Terry Trice, Maumelle, AR; and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her stepfamily, including Ken's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren: Debra Pascoe and husband, Neal, of Broken Arrow, OK; John Johnson and wife, Megan, of Tuttle, OK; Judy Johnson of Tulsa, OK; Jeff Pascoe and Ben Pascoe of Tulsa, OK; Triniti Porter of Oklahoma City, OK; Terra Melton of Newcastle, OK, and two great-grandchildren. Leota graduated from Fayetteville High School and later married Dennis in 1957. The couple soon moved to Tulsa where they raised their family. Leota and Dennis were avid square-dancers. In the Do-Si-Do Square Dance Club, they danced with Ken and Ken's first wife, Alice. When Leota and Ken were both widowed in 2000, they danced as a pair and married in 2003, enjoying twenty years together in their golden years. Leota was a homemaker who later was employed by Yale Cleaners as a cashier. In retirement, Leota enjoyed volunteering in the gift shop at St. Francis Hospital and serving as an usher at St. Paul United Methodist Church where she was a member. Leota was a life-long Arkansas Razorbacks fan and enjoyed fitness walking and exercising, especially at the St. Francis Health Zone. She enjoyed being a part of the Trinity Woods retirement community for the past five years.
Memorial service will be at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 27, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1442 South Quaker Avenue, Tulsa, OK, with Rev. Kathy Brown officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery in Fayetteville, AR. Gifts in Leota's memory may be made to St. Paul United Methodist Church. Funeral Service is under the direction of Moore's Eastlawn Funeral Home of Tulsa, OK, 918-622-1155



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