Helen G. Johnson

WEST STEWARTSTOWN, NH – Mrs. Helen G. Johnson, 91, passed away on Monday afternoon, January 3, 2011, at the Coös County Nursing Hospital in West Stewartstown, with her loving family by her side. She was born in Watertown, Mass., on October 17, 1919, a daughter of the late Raymond and Laura (Bugden) Goodale. She was a 1936 graduate of Newton, Mass., High School where she was a 3-letter varsity athlete in lacrosse, field hockey and basketball. She married Leonard F. Johnson in 1941. While raising her family in Auburndale, Mass., her working career was in municipal government, first as a clerk in the Newton City Hall, and later as an administrative assistant for the Bedford Office of Public Health from which she retired. Helen also lived in Wells, Me., for a period of time, and then moved to Sunapee, NH, in 1978 to live with her daughter. She had been a resident at the Coös County Nursing Hospital since 2004. Helen's hobbies included painting and woodworking, and she liked to watch horse racing, even enjoying an occasional trip to the track. She enjoyed playing cards and Scrabble; and she cherished her time spent with her sisters. Family members include her daughter, Karen L. Atwood of Sunapee, NH; two sons, William Johnson and wife Elaina of Columbia, NH, and Russell Johnson and wife Kathy of Columbia; two brothers, Calvin Goodale of Brockton, Mass., and William Goodale of Sequim, Wash.; a sister-in-law, Doris Ahearn of Falmouth, Mass., nine grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband, Leonard, in 1958; and by her siblings, Jean Simmons, Margaret Garafalo, Louise Duris and Raymond Goodale, Jr. There are no calling hours. A funeral service will be held at the Chapel of the Newton Cemetery on Walnut Street in Newton Center, Mass., on Saturday, January 8, 2011, at 1 p.m., with The Rev. Alice Roberts officiating. Burial will immediately follow at the Newton Cemetery. Expressions of sympathy in memory of Mrs. Johnson may be made to Coös County Nursing Hospital, P.O. Box 10, West Stewartstown, NH 03597. Condolences may be offered to the family on-line by going to www.jenkinsnewman.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Jenkins & Newman Funeral Home, Colebrook, NH.

Helen G. Johnson

October 17, 1919 - January 3, 2011