Dr. Billie Johnson Hagemeier, beloved wife, mother, and sister, and noted opera singer and teacher, passed away in Dallas, Texas on February 2, 2016 after a long illness.Born Billie Jean Johnson on September 30, 1948 to Burnis and Myrtis Johnson in Oakdale, Louisiana, Billie was the second of 4 daughters. The Johnson family owned and operated the Oakdale Caf, a fixture of Oakdale life, for many years.All the Johnson sisters played piano, and Billie sang from a young age, telling her mother at age 5 that she wanted to be an opera singer. After graduating from Oakdale High School in 1968, she began studying Piano at Louisiana College, where she was awarded the 1968 Caudell Cup for Excellence in Piano. She transferred to Louisiana State University to study Voice after an accident left her unable to sit at the piano for extended periods, earning a Bachelor of Music in 1970. She continued to the University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory of Music, where she earned her Master of Music in Voice Performance degree in 1972.Billie next traveled to New York City, where, though virtually unknown in New York music circles, she was a finalist at the 1973 Metropolitan Opera Guild Auditions at Lincoln Center. This extraordinary accomplishment paved the way for her professional internship with the International Opera Studio at the Opernhaus Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland from 1974-76, where she sang in walk-on and understudy roles for the company. During this time she also won the Bloch Foundation Award (Oklahoma City Symphony) and was named State Finalist and Young Professional of the Year, BP&W in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.Billie spent the next several years teaching music and pursuing her doctoral degree at the Indiana University School of Music, where she was a student of the esteemed Miss Margaret Harshaw.Her international career began with a trip to Germany in 1980, where she was hired as a member of the company in Kaiserslautern after one of her first auditions. Using the stage name Berenice Johnson (to honor her fathers name, Burnis,) Billie sang with opera companies throughout Germany, including the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the largest opera company in the world, where, among other roles, she was Tosca in Tosca, Senta in Der Fliegende Hollander, Marie in The Bartered Bride, Agathe in Der Frieschutz, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanna, working with renowned conductors and stage directors.In Kaiserslautern, Germany, Billie met the love of her life, Captain Charles Hagemeier, USAF. The romance continued long-distance after Chuck returned to his base in England, and culminated in a romantic marriage proposal on the hilltop Le Jardine exotique dEze overlooking the French Riviera. After the proposal, Billie discovered that her new fianc had had the wrong initials engraved in her diamond engagement ring. But the wedding was still on, and the couple married in Oakdale, Louisiana on June 30, 1984.Married life started long-distance, but Chuck was soon able to rejoin Billie in Germany, where she continued to perform. In 1986 their son, Matthew was born in Dusseldorf, and in 1987, with Chucks military service concluded, the family returned to the United States, settling in Lubbock, Texas.While raising their son, Billie stayed involved with music: teaching voice at Texas Tech University before moving to Houston. There, she taught voice at Houston Baptist University, including productions of the student Opera Workshop, and directed the world premiere concert performance of the opera Bonhoffer. She also performed at Berachah church and worked for the Houston Grand Opera. Later, she resumed her doctoral studies at Indiana University under Department Chair Mary Ann Hart.Billie completed her Doctor of Music degree in 2005 and then taught at Southern Illinois University until 2008. The invaluable skills Billie learned from Miss Margaret Harshaw allowed Billie to become a respected music teacher, instructing her students in the bel canto tradition of Miss Harshaw and her predecessors.In addition to her amazing talent and successful career, family was a very important aspect of Billies life. She, Chuck, and Matt moved from Dusseldorf to Lubbock, Houston, and finally to Dallas. She was an excellent cook, continuing the tradition of good food and hospitality learned from her parents. She taught her son the family gumbo recipe, the secret family roll recipe, and made a wonderful roast with rice and gravy and a killer French apple pie.Billie is survived and will be forever missed by her devoted husband Chuck Hagemeier of Dallas, their son Matt Hagemeier of Marble Falls, sister Louise Trahan of Rayville, Louisiana, sister Tobi and her husband Chuck Hathorne of Alexandria, Louisiana, and sister Toni and her husband Jerry Melton of Atlanta, and her other relatives, including many nieces and nephews, and her close friends and students.The family would like to thank the staff of Treemont, where Billie received compassionate care since 2014, and the staff of Hospice Plus, who helped her in her final days. Billie loved flowers, especially irises. If friends wish to make a contribution in her name, the family suggests Tyndale Theological Seminary, 701 West Pipeline Drive, Hurst, TX, 76053. Billie was a member of Tyndale Bible Church while living in Dallas.Visitation will be held at North Dallas Funeral Home on February 4, 2016 from 6:00pm-8:00pm.Services for Billie will be held February 5, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel on the grounds of the Farmers Branch Historical Park, near Dallas, Texas. After visitation at Rush Funeral Home in Oakdale, Louisiana, interment will follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery, where Billie will be laid to rest beside her parents.Please leave the family condolences and share memories on this website.