Emma Lou (Parker) Serrette, also known as Emma Johnson or Ms. Emma, passed away on May 3, 2025, in the city of Long Beach, CA at almost 92 years of age. She was born on May 30, 1933, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. On that very day, God brought Emma Parker into the world, the first child of teenage parents: Hazel Parker and Wilbert Wilson. Her mother later married Solomon Harper who helped to raise her.  From that union, Ms. Emma had four siblings—Robert Earl Harper, Dorothy Harper, Shirley Harper, and William Harper. She also had other siblings through her birth father. She is a beloved relative to the Johnson, the Harper and the Wilson families. She was cherished and a friend of many.

Emma Serrette graduated from Industrial High School in Tuscaloosa Alabama in 1951.

Later she married Willie S. Johnson and they were blessed with five stair-step children, Hazel Regina (Johnson) Reed, Willie Samuel Johnson Jr., Amy Denise Johnson, Janice (Johnson) Knight, and Patrick Dwayne Johnson.

In 1964, the Johnson family moved to Long Beach, CA. Emma Johnson's husband (Willie Johnson) and her brother (John Wilson) moved first, in order to get established. In August 1964, Emma Johnson with her five children, the oldest only being five, took a train from Tuscaloosa, AL to live the "American Dream" in Long Beach, CA. This relocation was done to avoid having their children experience extreme racism, discrimination, and voter disenfranchisement. The very week she arrived, there was a knock on the door, she got registered to vote, started voting and never stopped. She later became a cosmetologist and retired early, but she kept her license current until the day she died.  At the age of 54, Ms. Emma graduated from Long Beach City College with her AA degree.

Ms. Emma was a devout Christian. She received Christ at an early age. Throughout her Christian walk, she was a devoted saint of God that faithfully attended church, as well as having her children with her. She sang in the choir, she was a Sunday school teacher, she was in a bereavement group, and in various women's groups. Lastly, as a faithful member of Antioch Church of Long Beach for the past 15 years, she became a Deaconess.

Ms. Emma was also a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. She was loved by many others as a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, and a friend. Her mother, her fathers, her brothers, her sister (Dorothy Long), her nephew (Danny Long), her great-grandson (Jayden Reshawn Martell Herd), and her daughter-in-law (Audrey Johnson) preceded her in death. She is survived by her daughter Hazel (Louis) Reed, her son—Willie S. Johnson Jr., her daughter—Amy Denise Johnson, her daughter—Janice (Deron) Knight, her son—Patrick Dewayne Johnson, her sister—Shirley (Roger) McCoy, very special cousin— Alma Jean Hampton, many grandchildren, great grandchildren, and other relatives. Now, Ms. Emma is totally at peace and has gone to be with the Lord. It is Well!