She was born in Keene, NH, on January 16, 1932, the first-born child of Eli and Mary (Kostecky) Chabott. She graduated from Keene High School in 1950, and received her nursing education from Elliott Community Hospital School of Nursing in Keene, earning her certification as a Registered Nurse in 1953.
After graduation, she was a nurse at the former Elliott Community Hospital in Keene, and moved to Boston working in several hospitals including Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and Boston Floating Hospital for Children. She returned home to Keene to marry and raise a family, continuing to work occasionally as a private duty nurse for in-home care. She was a member of several nursing associations in NH.
The second half of her career shifted to school nursing, where she was the school nurse at the Chesterfield School for 23 years. The Chesterfield community, teachers and students were important to her and when she retired in 1997, she had developed friendships that lasted the rest of her life. Nothing pleased her more than running into a former student now as an adult.
She married Roy Oliver Johnson on February 15, 1958 in a ceremony at St. Bernard Catholic Church. They shared 57 wonderful years together in Keene as well as in York Beach, Maine.
Lorraine had many interests including organic gardening, singing and quilting. She was a member of the Keene Chorale for many years. She had a passion for fabric and was one of the founding members of the Cheshire Quilters Guild. Lorraine had a wide circle of friends who shared her love for quilting and stamping. Her gardening interest started with organic vegetable gardening and later evolved into herbs and perennials with day lilies being among her favorites.
She is survived by a daughter, Juliana Johnson Suminsby and her husband, David, and one grandchild, Jack, of Wenham, MA; a son, David Roy Johnson and his wife, Debbie (Byrne), of Swanzey, NH; a daughter, Mary Katherine Johnson and her husband, Aidan P. Bunting, of Salem, MA; a sister, Janet Lincoln, of Keene; a brother, Theodore “Ted” Chabott, of Keene; a brother, Thomas “Tom” Chabott and his wife, Nancy, of Harrisville; along with many nieces and nephews. She is pre-deceased by her husband Roy, and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Leslie “Betty” Chabott.
A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 10:00am in St. Margaret Mary Church, 33 Arch Street, Keene. Burial in the Woodland Cemetery, Keene, will be private. Family and friends are invited to call on Friday evening from 5:00 to 7:00pm at the Fletcher Funeral Home, 33 Marlboro Street, Keene.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to be made in Lorraine C. Johnson's name, to Home Healthcare, Hospice and Community Services, PO Box 564 Keene, NH 03431-0564.
