Lorraine Rita Johnston

Worcester— Lorraine Rita Johnston (née Dufault), 94, died June 19, 2023 at UMass Medical Center, having lived a long life filled with family and friends. 

She will be lovingly remembered by her daughters Joan O’Neil and Joan’s husband Jim of Holden, Massachusetts, Pedora Zachary of Worcester, Massachusetts, and Sally Cipolla and husband Joseph of Richmond, Virginia; her sons David and wife Anita of Gorham, Maine, and James and wife Marcie of Worcester, Massachusetts;  son-in-law Phil Johnson of Worcester, Massachusetts; thirteen grandchildren; eleven great-grandchildren; and by her sister Dorothy “Dottie” Ciociolo of West Boylston, Massachusetts.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of over 66 years, David Bergin Johnston. She was also predeceased by her infant son Daniel, daughter Karen Johnson, grandson Adam Zachary, and by siblings Alice Welch, Kenneth Garnsey, Evelyn Borko, Mildred “Millie” Dufault, Paul Dufault, and Donald Dufault. 

Lorraine was born in 1928 to parents Albert Joseph Dufault and Mildred (Pratt) Dufault in Worcester. “Rainy” to her friends and “Mimi” to her grandchildren, she enjoyed cooking delicious meals for her family, playing “Skip-Bo” with her many grandchildren, and scouting out bargains at Reny’s Department Store in Saco, Maine, where she and her husband owned a vacation home at the beachside community of Camp Ellis for over 50 years. 

Married to David in 1950, she loved her role as homemaker and caring for her large family. A child of the Great Depression, she was an impressive recycler before being green was popular, saving plastic containers and twist ties for future use. In her free time, she enjoyed creating decorative displays in her homes – like collections of sea glass in old apothecary jars and plenty of bunny figurines for Easter – always flanked by rows of family photos. 

She was employed by the Worcester Gas Company prior to her marriage, and by the MA Department of Public Safety for a number of years after her children had grown.

Lorraine’s family thanks the Briarwood Continuing Care Retirement Community in Worcester, Massachusetts, and particularly the staff at its Evergreen Memory Care facility, for their exceptional kindness and compassion during her stay there. 

Visiting hours will be held from 9:30 until 10:30 at Callahan Fay & Caswell Funeral Home, 61 Myrtle Street in Worcester on Monday, June 26th, with a Funeral Mass at St. Stephen’s Church, 357 Grafton Street, at 11:00. Burial will follow at St. John’s Cemetery.