BATH – Elsie Marie Johnson, 77, of Pratt Street, passed away unexpectedly Oct. 17, 2006, at a Brunswick hospital. She was born Sept. 23, 1929, in Machias, a daughter of George and Frances Colson Mugnai. She grew up in the Machias and Bangor areas and was also at St. Michael’s Orphanage for four years. She attended John Bapst High School, Bangor and spent the early part of her life in New Haven, Conn., with her grandparents. She was one the first waitresses at the original Helen’s Restaurant in Machias, that was started by her Uncle Larry Mugnai. She also worked at Longley’s Restaurant in Bath and at Congress Sportswear in Bath. She enjoyed playing bingo and slot machines, and spending time with her beloved dog, Molly. She spent the last year of her life with her daughter, Cynthia and son-in-law, Joseph McCarty, in Bonita Springs, Fla., and Five Islands. She dedicated her life to raising her family of 10 children. She was predeceased by her husband, Bernard L. Johnson, April 22, 1984; a son, Burleigh Preston Jr., in 1978; a grandson, Mark Anthony Preston, in 2003; and a son-in-law, Jerry Dye, in 2006. She is survived by a son, Michael Preston of Livermore Falls; eight daughters, Karen and her husband, Richard Griffin, of Durham, Marie and her husband, Milo Foster, of Blanchard, Mich., Susan Dye of Middleburg, Fla., Frances and Jim Hlavaty of Churubusco, Ind., Alice Quinn of Woolwich, Donna Lee Johnson of Courtland, Va., Cynthia and her husband, Joe McCarty, of Five Islands, and Betty Johnson and her husband, Charles Lang, of New Port Ritchey, Fla.; two sisters, Helen and her husband, Joseph Brettagna, of Orange, Conn., and Judy and her husband, Don Sawyer, of Orrington; a brother, John and his wife, Pam Mugnai, of Orrington; 29 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Visiting hours will be held 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, at David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, 638 High St., Bath. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 39 Pleasant St., Brunswick. Interment will take place 3 p.m. at Great Cove Cemetery, Roque Bluffs. Memorial donations may be made to the Coastal Humane Society, 30 Range Road, Brunswick, ME 04011. Arrangements are by David E. Desmond & Son Funeral Home, 638 High St., Bath.
ELSIE MARIE JOHNSON
