Obituary of Dorothy Johnston

On 27 September 2022, after a short illness, our sweet and loving mother, Dorothy Johnston, unexpectedly slipped away from the boundaries of this earthly life and was welcomed into the arms of Jesus. She was blessed with the precious gift of life having lived for over 100 years. Dorothy was born on 18 September 1922 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania to Mary and Harry Kutzer. The family moved to Scranton, PA when she was very young. She lived with her sister Mildred and her three brothers, Harold, Russel and Donald in a two-family home along with her grandparents Alexander and Dorothea Turlis. She loved Scranton and often spoke about the wonderful family life she experienced. She would often tell us stories about her growing up there and how she would roller skate, ice skate, visit numerous nature and amusement parks in the area and of course attend school. She even said that she and her sister were selected to lead the Memorial Day parade where they carried the Allentown banner. From Scranton, the family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. During WWII, she worked at Remington Arms, supporting the war effort by inspecting ammunition primers for any flaws that would create a malfunction. During her employment at Remington, she was selected as Ms. Remington Arms. She met her husband, Arthur Johnston, in Bridgeport. They built a home, settled down and raised their three children, Arthur, Sharon, and Mary. She was a stay-at-home Mom who looked out for her children’s safety, security and wellbeing during their formative years. She was a devout catholic and raised her children as Catholics. When our father passed in 1979, she moved to New Port Richey, Florida, where she lived out her remaining 43 years. During this time, she enjoyed her family. Her mother Mary was able to stay with her for a time before her passing. She also traveled to Hawaii and other locations in the U.S. with her church group. She once said that she saw an Angel while visiting a religious site with her church group. She also visited Germany, France, and Greece. Dorothy loved music, loved to dance and was always the life of the party, the center of attention. All who knew her loved her and she loved them. She was affectionately called “Dottie” and “Mama Mia” by family and friends. Her life was dedicated to her family. It will be hard to forget her kindness, lovely personality, beauty, energy, radiant smile, unconditional love for her family, humor and ability to make people laugh without trying. Her strong spirit, her love and concern for the welfare of her family and friends will thankfully be immortalized in the memory of all the souls she touched. Left behind to cherish her memory are her children Arthur and wife Janice, daughters Sharon Takacs, Mary Stamper and husband Dan; her grandchildren Christopher Johnston and Wife Pamela, Cheryl Johnston and husband Chase Avary, Jesse Takacs, Justin and wife Kathleen, and Jeanie; her great grandchildren, Alexis Johnston, Gavin Johnston, Mya, Damien Takacs, Benny Stamper, Berlyn Takacs, Molly Ann Stamper, Jenny Stamper, Athena and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur Johnston Sr.; mother, Mary Kutzer; father, Harry Kutzer; sister Mildred Kerensky; brothers, Harold Kutzer, Russell Kutzer and Donald Kutzer; grandson Damien Takacs. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 8320 Old County Rd 54, New Port Richey, Florida. Interment will follow at Meadow Lawn Memorial Gardens, 4244 Madison Street, New Port Richey, Florida.