Johnnie Faye Aldridge Rafferty

Johnnie Faye Aldridge Rafferty, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend to all, passed peacefully on Monday, December 22, 2025, at the age of 94.

Born in Iuka, Mississippi, Johnnie married her high school sweetheart, Harry Francis Rafferty, in 1950, the same year they graduated from Iuka High School. Together, they shared a life filled with love, laughter, and many U-Haul adventures — moving their growing family from Jackson, TN, to Lafayette and Metairie, LA, to Memphis, TN, before finally settling in Long Beach, Mississippi, in 1975. Wherever she went, Johnnie Faye made every house a home.

A devoted mother to five and grandmother to many, Johnnie cared for her family, friends, the children she kept, and the parade of backyard wildlife with warmth, humor, and unwavering kindness. She tended homes with gentle hands and a loving heart, keeping them vibrant and full of joy. She worked in retail and bookkeeping, and shared her love of food as a caterer, creating recipes and meals that became cherished family traditions. Her garden thrived under her care, and she delighted in sewing, crocheting, and crafting gifts chosen with thought and intention.

Johnnie Faye loved music and could often be found dancing or singing along to her favorite songs, lifting the spirits of everyone around her. Her elegance, radiant smile, and personal style reflected the care and attention she put into everything she touched.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church, Beta Sigma Phi and a charter member of Hope 4 Today. In later years, she enjoyed attending First Baptist of Gulfport virtually. She also loved reading, watching football, and, above all, pouring herself into the lives of those she loved.

Johnnie was preceded in death by her husband of 75 years, Harry Francis Rafferty; her son, William Edward Rafferty; her son-in-law, Dennis Mayfield; her grandson, Jordan Ray Rafferty; her parents; Johnnie Aldridge and Elsie Aldridge and her brother James Edward Aldridge.

She is survived by her children and their spouses: Rebecca Mayfield; Frances Spruill (Mike); Mary Beth Kozakiewicz (Pete); John Rafferty; her grandchildren: Heather Rafferty; Nicole Spruill Hudson (Scott); Michael Spruill (Candis); Ben Spruill (Stephanie); Samantha Jarnigan (Grant); Derek Kozakiewicz (Quinn); Jeffrey Ward (Allison); Lauren Holder (Peyton); Steven Mayfield; and her great-grandchildren: Ella Touchstone, Johnnie Blake, Oliver Phillips, Ethan Spruill, Addy Kate Spruill, Colton Spruill, Stone Jarnigan, Scarlet Jarnigan, Gunnar Jarnigan, Galen Jarnigan, Elijah Kozakiewicz, Jackson Ward, Thomas Ward, Briar Rose Holder, Rory Kate Holder, Peyton Mayfield, along with Susan Way,Vicki Williams, Bill Gant, Harriet Gant, David Gant, Charlie, Rachel, Charlie, and Allie Gant and so many more beloved friends and extended family.

Johnnie loved deeply and generously, and if you met her once, you remembered her forever. Extraordinary and irreplaceable, she was a true matriarch who leaves behind a life well lived, a legacy of unwavering love, and stories that will be told for generations, just as she would have wanted.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 4:30 PM, with a visitation beginning at 3:00 PM at St. Peters By-The-Sea Episcopal Church, 1909 15th St., Gulfport, MS. Visitation will also be on Monday, December 29, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Cutshall Funeral Home in Iuka, MS, followed by a graveside service at 1:30 PM in Rutledge-Salem United Methodist Church Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest with her beloved husband. Iuka was always at the forefront of her heart, and she made sure it was ours too, giving us every reason to return, to remember, and to celebrate the roots and love that shaped her remarkable spirit. Together again, they will rest where their story began.