Elizabeth Johnson Rule

Elizabeth was a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother and friend who will be greatly missed. She enjoyed a long and blessed life, living in her home until the end, just as she had wished. Elizabeth was a woman filled with grace and kindness who loved unconditionally. She enjoyed reading, traveling, the university of Missouri Tigers, watching Denver Broncos Football, bridge, cooking and entertaining. Elizabeth’s greatest joys were her two daughters, sons-in-law and especially her two grandsons whom she adored. She loved their visits and savored the friendships she had with each. In her final years it was the yearly Thanksgiving tradition of family and friends filling her home and surrounding her with love that brought her extra special happiness.

Elizabeth was born on June 27, 1926 in Kansas City, Missouri to Harold Lloyd and Helen King Lloyd. She attended the University of Missouri where she met and married Don Johnson. After starting their family in Kansas City, Don’s career with Phillips Petroleum Company took them to Utah, Oklahoma and London, England and back to Oklahoma. Elizabeth once said that she never imagined living anywhere other than Kansas City but she rose to the occasion and enjoyed every stop along the way. A few years after Don’s passing, Elizabeth married Vance Rule. Vance embraced her friends in Bartlesville and they had quite the social life; Dinner Dance Club at Hillcrest Country Club and entertaining at their home. They traveled around the world for as long as their health allowed and enjoyed many years together.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband Don Alexander Johnson, her infant son Donald Lloyd Johnson, her brother Donald Lloyd, her sister Jane Bruce Lloyd Fuller, and her second husband E. Vance Rule, stepson John Rule and step grandson Eric Rule. Survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Janet Johnson-Mertz and Tom Mertz of Lincoln, Arkansas, Ann and Tripp Kerr of Denver, Colorado, grandsons Preston Kerr and Cameron Kerr of Denver, step children Randy and Zaydee Rule, Rick and Amy Rule; their children Ryan, Alec and Claire Isabella, Bruce and Joyce Rule, Trish Banks and their children and grandchildren, and numerous other family members and friends who mourn her loss.

Elizabeth was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Bartlesville. She graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a degree in Home Economics. Upon graduation, she taught History of Costume at Stephens College while Don completed his degree at Missouri. She enjoyed entertaining and was a gourmet cook, having taken classes at Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School while living in London. She was a fashionista with her own style and flair and insisted on a perfectly set dinner table and a doily on the stem of her wine glass. She was a member of the Alpha Phi Sorority, and PEO Sisterhood. She treasured her Book Club in Bartlesville and read with them for over 50 years. She was a skilled bridge player but claimed to be lucky to come up with the “good cards” to win. Elizabeth’s smile, laugh, wisdom and how she cared about others will always be remembered by those she leaves behind.

The family would like to thank the team of exceptional caregivers who treated Elizabeth as one of their own family in her final years.

Interment was held at Mount Moriah Cemetery South in Kansas City, Missouri on April 6, 2023.

A celebration of Elizabeth’s life will be held in Bartlesville, Oklahoma at Hillcrest Country Club at a date to be determined.

Donations may be made to: Comforting Hands Hospice, 1366 SE Washington Blvd, Suite A, Bartlesville, OK. 74006; comfortinghandshospice.com

Cottey College, Office of Institutional Advancement, 1000 W. Austin Blvd. Nevada, MO. 64772; https://cottey.edu/give/