Juanita Constance Hartfield was born on April 20th, 1930, in Oakland,
California, to Mattie B. Falls and Joseph Drisdom. They soon relocated
to Los
Angeles, CA, where Juanita was raised by her mother, Mattie, in South Central,
Los Angeles. She was shy in school and was often teased for her freckles. She
graduated from Jefferson High School and kept her high school sweater
as a
memory for her alma mater until her death.
She went to City College for one year and then worked as a Clerical
Typist for
the Los Angeles County Probation Department/Law Enforcement from which
she
retired (Norwalk Division) in 1981.
She met Morris Johnson Jr. at a soda/ice cream shop and married in 1949
at
the age of 19. From this union came two children: Brenda Johnson and
Gerald
Johnson (who preceded her in death).
Juanita remarried in 1955 to Lawrence S. Hartfield (who preceded her in
death). They moved to 4263 W. 59th Street in the early 1960's and were
the first
African-American family on the block. Together they raised Brenda and
Gerald
, and in 1964, Eric S. Hartfield was born and welcomed into the family.
One of Juanita's favorite family pastimes was supporting her husband as
a little
league Baseball Coach. Both of her sons were baseball players on the Westside
Athletics Baseball team while her daughter was a cheerleader.
In 1984 she welcomed in and raised Gilbert "Robbie" Johnson at 3 days old.
She would say that as long as she lived at 4263 W. 59th St., her family
and loved
ones would have a place to stay, and she was true to her word. She
would also
remind the family that she "paid the cost to be the boss."
Her favorite hobbies were bowling (in a bowling club), going to the LA
Dodger
Baseball games, listening to music (Mahalia Jackson being one of her
favorite
singers), and playing dominoes and bid whist at social family
gatherings. One of
the highlights of her life was going to the Olympics in Toronto, Canada,
in the
1970's with her family. She later joined a square-dancing club where
she met
Leslie Bourne (who preceded her in death) and he became her last
marital union.
When she was younger, her favorite snacks were sardines and crackers.
As she
got older, she enjoyed cheese-it crackers, Pepsi, Kisses, and Oreos,
and would
request them from anyone that was around.
On March 24th, 2021, at the ripe age of 90, Juanita Constance Hartfield
passed
away peacefully in her own home that she lived in for 55 years. Juanita
loved the
Lord and always let her friends and family know how much she loved
them. The
Lord granted her pray to live to be 90, and she will be missed and always loved.
She leaves her daughter Brenda, son Eric, she raised a son and grandson
Gilbert "Robbie," grandchildren: Gerald Jr., Alicia, Harold Jr., Brandon
Johnson, Ria
Hartfield, Marquis Hartfield, Miss Penny, Brandon K., and Cory;
greatgrandchildren:
Miesha, Nathan, Layla, Abrielle, Azariah, Asaias, and Faith; a host
of nieces and nephews, and her pet cat "Golden." We Love
you, Nita ââ "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"
The family of Juanita C. Hartfield-Bourne would like to thank you for the many acts of loving kindness shown to us during our bereavement. Your thoughtfulness is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered.
With three locations to serve you, Harrison-Ross Mortuary has always been a community leader in funeral and cremation services. At each location, our staff are trained to patiently assist you in arranging such a very important occasion. Harrison-Ross Mortuary will help your family through tough emotional times with compassionate service. We are family owned and operated, and our number one goal is to make this difficult time easier on you and your loved ones.
4601 South Crenshaw Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90043
(323) 584-1230
1839 East Firestone Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90001
(323) 584-1200
436 East Compton Boulevard
Compton, CA 90221
(310) 667-4052
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