Gloria Lea (Johnson) Dean

Gloria Lea Johnson Dean, age 63, passed away Saturday, March 6, at her home. A graveside service will be held at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, March 9, at the Hodges Chapel Church Cemetery, 669 Hodges Chapel Rd., Benson, NC. Reverends Steven Campbell and C.H. Lee officiating.

Gloria will have a visitation and you may sign the register book on Monday, March 8, from 1 to 5 pm at West & Dunn Funeral Home with no family present.

Gloria was born July 28, 1957, to Willis Irvin (Shorty) Johnson and to Hilda Holley Johnson. She was a life-long member of the Hannah’s Creek Community. Before she became disabled, she was employed at Four Oaks Elementary School as a bus driver and computer lab director. Gloria loved the Lord and was a member of Beulah Baptist Church, where she enjoyed helping in children's church, directing the choir, and coordinating VBS meals. 

Gloria loved music, especially hymns and Gospel songs, and was an avid reader. She also loved spending time outside working in her yard and watching birds at feeders and birdhouses strategically placed on her property.  You could always count on seeing pretty, seasonal garden flags fluttering in the breeze at her mailbox and by her flowerbeds. She enjoyed visiting with family and friends, and she cherished time spent with her cousins.

Gloria has been married to Ray Dean for the past 42 years. Together, they raised two beloved sons, Daniel Dean of Four Oaks and Joshua Dean of Garner.

Other survivors are her sister, Becky Best (Rayvon), her nieces Meredith Blalock (Travis) and Catherine Bouknight (Kevin), her in-laws, Doris Watkins (Frank), and Terry Dean (Cindy), along with their children and grandchildren. She loved all children and delighted in her great nieces: Mary Catherine, Elizabeth, Clara, Ella, and Madeline.

Gloria and her family are deeply appreciative of the love and care shown by her caregivers over the years.

Flowers are welcome and memorial donations may be made to Beulah Baptist Church, 3140 NC Hwy 242 South, Benson, NC 27504.

In order to stay in compliance with the NC COVID Law, social distancing measures must be practiced and a mask worn during all services.

Condolences may be made at www.westanddunn.com

Services have been entrusted to West & Dunn Funeral Home of Benson, North Carolina.