Therisa Bernell Johnson West, 94, of Pitkin, Louisiana, passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2024. All of Heaven is rejoicing as one more beautiful voice has been added to the Heavenly Choir. She began singing at the age of 6 years with the Johnson Quartet.

Therisa was born on October 12, 1929, in Pitkin and lived most of her life there. She attended Louisiana College, graduating and then teaching school at Pitkin High School for 46 years. She was a member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Pitkin, playing the piano there from 1968 until 2020. She was truly a woman of God who will be missed by her family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Braxton and Ethel Johnson, and her husband, Ben D. West.

Those left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Benita Inman (Jerry); her granddaughters: Jennifer Thompson and Tina Cooley (Tracy); four great grandchildren: Savannah Israel (Ben), Jared Thompson, Sadie Heflin (Levi), and Jacob Thompson; and 3 great-great grandchildren: Sarah Grace, Sydni Claire and Beckett.

A celebration of life was held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 14, 2024, at Mt. Olive Baptist Church with Bro. Jeff James, Bro. Brian Thompson, and Steve Roark officiating. Interment followed in Blue Branch Cemetery under the direction of Jeane’s Funeral Service. Serving as pallbearers were Jared Thompson, Jacob Thompson, Levi Heflin, Ben Israel, Matt Dillon, and Kevin Lambright. Honorary pallbearers were JP Bennett, Dakota Bennett, Tracy McCormick, Chad Hagan, Donnie Perkins, Dale Lambright, and Terry Lambright.