
Dee Johnston-McKinnon
Passed on December 22, 2020
Resident of Norton, MA
Dee Johnston-McKinnon, of Norton, passed away December 22, 2020 at the age of 50. Beloved wife of David James McKinnon. Loving mother of Lee M. McKinnon, Annamaria A. McKinnon, Isabel A. McKinnon. She is also survived by her mother, Linda Johnston, her sisters: Manju J Yoder (William), Mallika Johnston, Yeshwanti Johnston and Lakshmi Johnston and several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her grandfather, John J. Johnston and her sister, Jyotsna Johnston.
Love of family is what drove Dee’s heart and soul. Doting over her family as action could only express. Dee treated all her children’s friends as caringly as she would her own. Dee loved, pure and simple.
One of her favorite songs, her wedding song, exemplifies her life value, Simple Gifts:
'Tis the gift to be simple
'Tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be
And when we find ourselves in the place just right
It will be in the valley of love and delight
When true simplicity is gained
To bow and to bend, we will not be ashamed
To turn, turn, will be our delight
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right
Dee was born in a village on the India/ Bangladesh border in 1968. She moved with her family into Kolkata due to fighting on the border. She was found at the Kolkata railway station by Mother Teresa and brought to her orphanage at 6 years old. Moving to the orphanage in Delhi , she then lived in Belgium and California before coming home to MA in August, 1981.
Dee graduated from Attleboro High School in 1988, attending Katherine Gibbs in Providence and graduating from UMASS Boston, 2001 BA Earth and Geographic Sciences.
After graduating UMass Boston, where she met her husband David, Dee worked at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the Veterans Administration Hospital system in Jamaica Plain, Brockton, West Roxbury and Providence while raising her triplet babies to become wonderful teenagers. For the last few years Dee chose to be a homemaker so she could have more quality time with her children.
Dee loved to read voraciously, cook and garden, growing vegetables in the backyard raised bed. She was driven to cook and was talented teaching the kids her passion for creating meals. Usually, meals would be simple. Her goal was to teach them to become independent through creative engaged education.
Isabel, Anna, and Lee are who Dee lived for and so fervently wished to see grow and perhaps have families of their own. She wanted her children to have a stable, safe childhood, one that she did not have at a young age. Dee succeeded by providing the best nurturing family life a Mom could ever give.
Visiting hours will be held at the Hurley Funeral Home, 134 So. Main St. (Rt. 28), Randolph on Monday, December 28th from 2-4pm. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. Covid-19 precautions will be in place.
Services
Visitation
- December 27, 2020
- 12:00 am-12:00 am