Virginia R. "Ginny" Johnson

Jamaica Plain – Virginia (Ginny) R. (Lagh) Johnson, of Jamaica Plain, died Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, surrounded by her family. She was 71.

Ginny was born in Boston on November 30, 1942, the daughter of the late Arvid and Ruth (Nelson) Lagh. A resident of Jamaica Plain since last July, she had lived in Waltham from 1982 to 2003 and in Belfast, Maine from 2003 to 2013.

Ginny grew up in Squantum and graduated from North Quincy High School in 1960. She then attended North Park College in Chicago and Chandler School for Women in Boston.

Her first job was in the mathematics department for Ginn and Company, a book publishing firm in Boston. She was employed in various positions in the several states in which she lived. She retired as a project manager in the Graphic Arts Department for the New England Journal of Medicine, having worked there for almost 18 years.

Throughout her life she had a great appreciation for all of nature--the ocean beaches of Squantum, Cape Cod and Maine, or just taking a hike in the woods. She had a serious knowledge of and appreciation for wild flowers and birds. She was a devotee of figure skating, both as a participant and spectator. She enjoyed watching football and especially women's college basketball. When not spending time walking, running, birding or traveling, she could be found at home where home decoration was one of her talents. She had a curious mind, often seeking to learn more, and was an avid reader. Above all, she was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother.

While in Waltham, Ginny volunteered for the Meals on Wheels program. During her retirement years in Belfast she became very involved in her church, Saint Margaret's, where she was an usher and reader. Within the Belfast community, she volunteered for the Children's Reading Program, the Maine Farmland Trust, the Coastal Mountain Land Trust, the Belfast Bay Watershed Coalition, and the Waldo County General Hospital. She was also an enthusiastic member of the Belfast Senior College.

She leaves her husband, Alden S. Johnson; her children, Peter Lindgren of Essex, Vermont and Kerstin Lindgren and her spouse, Kerstin Palm, of Jamaica Plain; her step-children, Rochelle Johnson and her spouse, Donald Mansfield, of Boise, Idaho and Rebecca Contreras and her spouse, Leo Contreras, of Holliston; her grandchildren, Elin, Amalia, Wren, Justin, Ryan and Jackie; and three great-grandchildren.

Family and friends will honor and remember Ginny's life by gathering for her memorial service on Saturday, March 22nd at 2 p.m. in Saint Margaret's Episcopal Church, 95 Court Street, Belfast, Maine.

Memorial donations may be made to: Saint Margaret's Episcopal Church, 95 Court Street, Belfast, ME 04915; to the Stem Transplant and Discovery Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital, MGH Development, Attn: Heidi Bergmeyer, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1310, Boston, MA 02114; or to Cape Cod Covenant Church, P.O. Box 219, South Dennis, MA 02660.