Gladys Johnstone

Gladys Johnstone, 1997 Provincetown Senior Citizen of the Year and current holder of Provincetown’s Boston Post Cane, died on November 1, 2022 at 100 years of age. Born on March 18, 1922 in New York City to Henry Gloyer and Mae (Branigan) Gloyer, she married David Johnstone in 1939.

A former telephone operator, hospital worker, dining room manager, child care worker and mother of five, Gladys had never been to Cape Cod, much less Provincetown, but feeling the need for a change and up for an adventure, she moved to Provincetown in 1993 to occupy the house purchased by her son as a vacation/eventual retirement house and empty for all but a few weeks of the year. The family was unsure how she would fare alone at the tip of the Cape, but she fell in love with Provincetown and felt a freedom and peace here she attributed to the beauty of the surroundings and “all the positive ions bouncing off the water.”

In 1997 she was named Provincetown’s Senior Citizen of the Year for exemplifying the spirit of positive aging and being actively engaged in the community. Over the years she volunteered in many areas, including the Soup Kitchen, Ruthie’s Boutique, the Outer Cape Health thrift store, and served on the Council on Aging Board, the Friends of the Council on Aging, and founded the Friends of Maushope, a non-profit committed to improving the quality of life for residents of the senior housing complex.

She worked as WOMR’s receptionist and for the Council on Aging, officially retiring from that Council on Aging position in her late 80’s.

Gladys was an animal lover, avid gardener, voracious reader, lover of word puzzles, delighted in completing the Sunday New York Times crossword in ink, and even in her last year, could still challenge anyone to a truly competitive game of Scrabble. She knitted, was adept at the sewing machine and was a wonderful quilter. A panel she quilted of Town Hall buildings is currently displayed at the Provincetown Council on Aging.

Gladys is survived by her daughters Barbara and husband Arthur Bratone of City Island, New York, Laurie and husband David Brown of Savannah, Georgia, and son Douglas Johnstone and his husband Edward Terrill of Provincetown, Massachusetts, as well as 9 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren. Gladys was predeceased by her daughter Pamela Bright in 2015 and her daughter Judith Urban in 2020.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may go to the Carrie A. Seaman Animal Shelter {CASAS}, PO Box 1374, Provincetown, MA 02657 or to a charity of one’s choice.