Elizabeth Ann Brackins

Elizabeth Ann (Johanson) Brackins was born December 16, 1990 in San Luis Obispo, California, the fifth of six children born to Kerry and Susan Johanson. In 2000 she moved with her family to Gainesville, Florida where she attended elementary, middle and high school – graduating in 2009 from PK Yonge. A lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she served faithfully in many capacities (particularly with the youth and children) in each congregation where she attended. She married her sweetheart, for time and all eternity, in the Orlando temple on June 12, 2010. She passed through the veil on April 3, 2021 in Tallahassee, Florida where she has lived with her family for seven years. How do you describe a life well lived? When Elizabeth (Bit) Johanson came into the world, she was already a great influence on our family. Her older sister threatened to run away to Grandmas’ house if this new precious baby was not a girl so she could have a baby sister (she already had three brothers). We looked at our new baby daughter and Susan said, “she is our little bit of love.” So, for several weeks she was known as our “little bit of love” which soon became shortened to just Bit. As she grew, this bundle of joy had all of her brothers and her sister wrapped around her finger. But there were also times of great dramatic expression. When she was two years old our Church’s children’s Primary classes were making ornaments. Bit was having a dramatic moment with a huge pout glued to her face. The activity was to take pictures and then create from them a Christmas star ornament to place on the Christmas tree that year. Her Primary teacher handed us the newly made ornament and said, “I am so sorry.” But we hung it on the tree anyway and it remained on our tree each year until Bit had a daughter of her own – and a similar situation created a similar picture which was promptly turned into a similar Christmas ornament and hung on her Christmas tree. Early on we understood that Bit had a dramatic flair and this drama would serve her well in her later years. As Bit grew, she wanted to help all who came into her path. This became her trademark, and many of her friends told us that she was like the sister they never had, or if they had a problem, they could go to Bit for support and help. Her focus was “the one” – the one that was left behind, the one that stood in the corner, the one that did not feel included. To her, everything was black and white – no gray areas. So, when someone said “we are ALL children of God” and “God don’t make no junk” she believed that 100%. Everyone on or off of the planet, good or bad, was special – and she believed each soul could become a shining star. She treated them ALL that way. You could not be around Bit without feeling completely loved. She developed a heart of gold. In her tween and teenage years, the drama surfaced and was nurtured. Singing around the piano as a family, we heard that Bit sang like an angel. Wow, what a voice. She not only had a golden heart, but an angelic voice. She performed in many plays and sing many songs. Some of those acting experiences were with her own family members: Sharpey in “High School Musical” or Shenzy in “The Lion King,” Tziedel in “Fiddler on the Roof” or Anna in “The King and I,” and Christine in “Phantom of the Opera.” There were many requests for her to sing in church and other venues and she always said, “Yes!” She felt at home on the stage or singing in front of a group, and she did it well very well. As she grew older and approached high school graduation, she noticed that some of her friends who went on before her and had entered the lifestyle of music had taken on many of the characteristics of the world. This worried her. She loved singing, but refused to trade her soul for her voice. So, with the help of loving parents and a lot of soul searching, she found a potential vocation. She would use music as therapy for people that needed help understanding themselves, or getting over difficult times, or even increasing what limited minds could do. She wanted to be a music therapist. So, off to college she went. But that was short-lived. A young man (Bradley Alexander Brackins) had just returned from his missionary service and he noticed Bit. He saw her golden heart, he saw and felt the angelic nature of her soul. He saw the brilliance of her spirit. It didn’t hurt that she was a striking beauty. So, when she got back from her first semester at Utah State University, he proposed to her. They were married for time and all eternity in the LDS temple and Family – a forever family – was now her sole obsession. She was all in. She traded up a career in music therapy to become a full-time wife and mother, and she never looked back. Bit and her husband Brad welcomed two very rambunctious daughters and a son into the world. But then an event came into their life that would break their hearts. Just a few days before their fourth child (a son named Benjamin) was scheduled to be born, his little heart stopped beating and he was stillborn. This pain was unbearable and for a time, and Bit could not be consoled. But that golden heart and the brilliant spirit soon took over again. She reached out to others that had similar experiences, providing them comfort and understanding – and she was good at it. Again, she looked for “the one,” the one who lost a soul, and she lifted them with the light in her soul. Then, in the early summer of last year she developed very troubling symptoms and, after a long time and many consultations, the diagnosis came back as inoperable brain cancer. She would be leaving this existence, but her thoughts were not for herself but for her children and her husband. Oh, she did not want to leave. But, if she had to, she wanted to pass through the veil at home in the arms of her husband surrounded by her children. On the fourth month and third day of that month in the year 2021, one day before Easter Sunday, she peacefully passed through the veil just as she had wanted. Bit, her mother, and Brad’s close cousin all see patterns in numbers. Her passing was no exception. She died on 4 – 3 – 2 – 1, and then it was resurrection morning. What a tender mercy. She lives because He (Christ) lives. As she passed through the veil, she was met by Benjamin and then wrapped in the arms of the Savior whom she served so well. He gently wiped away her tears. She is now in a place where there is no pain or tears, only joy. All that was wrong with her body is – or will be – made right. She lived great, she died great, and she kept her covenants. May we do likewise. Let us follow her example in our daily walk. The world would be a far better place, for she taught us how to love. Elizabeth is preceded in death by her youngest son Benjamin. She is survived by her husband Bradley Brackins and three children – Alexis, Faith, and Bradley Jr (Buddy) Brackins; her parents, Kerry and Susan (Loeper) Johanson; three grandparents, Jerry and Harlean (Shepherd) Johanson and Barbara (Sibley) Loeper; one sister, Christine Johanson; four brothers, Benjamin (Kimberly) Johanson, Daniel (Emily) Johanson, Carl (Ami) Johanson, and David Johanson; and numerous aunts, uncles and nieces, nephews and cousins. The family will receive friends from 5:00 - 7:00 PM, Friday, April 9, 2021, at Bevis Funeral Home, 200 John Knox Rd. Tallahassee, FL. The funeral service will be held, at 11:00 AM, Saturday, April 10, 2021, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 5455 Buck Lake Road, Tallahassee, Florida. Todd Wahlquist with Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193, www.bevisfh.com) is assisting the family with their arrangements.

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Elizabeth Ann Brackins

December 16, 1990 - April 3, 2021