JonNeka Mingo will always remember her mother as a woman who knew right from wrong – and who was never hesitant to share it.
“She would not sugarcoat anything for anyone,” Mingo said with a laugh. “If she had to cuss you out, she would cuss you out. That was Carla. But she would embrace you with open arms.”
Carla Johnson passed away Nov. 6 after a nearly year-long battle with leukemia. She was 63 years old. The Norco native touched many lives, including in her time as a dispatcher for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, a role she served for 23 years.
Johnson was an alumni of Destrehan High School and was a member of the Desty Darlings. Many people knew her, loved her and stepped forward to help in different ways following Johnson’s diagnosis. Gail Smith, a close friend and former Sheriff’s Office co-worker of Johnson’s, recently started a GoFundMe for her that raised nearly $1,500 over the course of just a few days, money that went toward covering medical supplies, housing costs, food and transportation for Johnson and her family.
“It means a lot,” said Mingo. “And it says a lot. It speaks to my mom’s character, the person that she was. People recognize who you are in a time of need, when you’re at that lowest point, they never forget the things you’ve done for them. And we appreciate (those who helped the family) and we thank them. And it goes beyond the monetary donations.
“I have friends who come here and drop off home cooked meals. It was one more thing I didn’t have to think about or do, and something that gave me one more second, a few more minutes to spend with my mom, to enjoy listening to music with her. People have helped in so many different ways. They’ve written things on her prayer board. Calling or texting to ask what we needed.”
When Johnson did say she could use a hand, the help came immediately.
“She said, ‘I need protein shakes’ … let me tell you, we got so many,” Mingo said. “We were drinking those for breakfast, lunch and dinner … people helped, did countless, countless things. We thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”
Johnson had three children, 11 grandchildren and a great grandson.
Mingo said Johnson always made it known to the children of the neighborhood that the doors to the family’s home were open.
“Open to anyone,” Mingo said. “The kids in our neighborhood would always come and eat.”
She began her career in Kenner before transferring to St. Charles Parish to work closer to her home.
“There were stories (from being a dispatcher) that were very near her heart, stories from some difficult times,” said Mingo. “She witnessed the amount of effort that it took for a team to come together to try and save a life, and it brought tears to her eyes to think of how everyone worked together in that moment.”
Helping others was a passion of hers. Another passion was singing.
“She loved, loved to sing gospel music,” Mingo said. “And she had the voice of an angel.
“She made an imprint on a lot of people. She would give you the shirt off her back. My mother is one of the people I’ve looked up to most. My siblings and I are so very grateful and so very blessed to have her in my life. We thank God for her.”
