A. Jocelyn (Matheson) Johnston

A. Jocelyn (Matheson) Johnston, of Wollaston, died peacefully at her home on Saturday, November 6, 2021. She was 89, exactly one month away from her 90th birthday.

Born in Boston on December 6, 1931, she was the daughter of the late William Kenneth and Katherine Frances (Igoe) Matheson. Jocelyn attended local schools and graduated from Revere High School with the Class of 1949.  She spent childhood weekends on her Dad’s beloved sailboat, the Westwind, which informed her abiding love of the ocean.

Family was the central concern of Jocelyn’s life. She was devoted to her seven children, and took special pleasure in being a Nana to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was always armed with a song or a poetry excerpt, and could conjure some maxim or saying that related to the moment. She always enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, and was committed to making all holidays memorable for her family.

Jocelyn was an avid reader, reading one, sometimes two, books a day. She was thoughtful, informed and a font of knowledge on many topics, sometimes surprising in her retention of everything from World History to Justin Bieber. Her curiosity extended to people, she was always interested in her family, friends, their friends, and the larger community.  She loved a good conversation and was always up for one, eager for a surprise, a laugh, a connection.

Jocelyn also enjoyed playing Scrabble, doing crossword puzzles, taking family trips, spending time on the beach, and watching Jeopardy and Western films.  She loved musicals and pop music from every era. Though her relationship to singing was enthusiastically aspirational, she would gladly belt out a song when circumstances demanded, like in a talent show with her treasured Quincy women’s group, the St. Ann’s Mariannes. She also had an admirable appetite for fine foods, and was well-versed in the Boston and South Shore’s best dining spots.

Jocelyn had a great sense of humor and didn’t take herself too seriously. She amused her children and grandchildren in numerous ways, including sharing her blunt, sometimes scorching opinions, even when not asked, and with her fiery relationship to all things technology-related (she was often heard screeching at her Alexa or directing one of her grandchildren to search for something “on their letterbox”, also known as a laptop computer). She would sing songs she had long forgotten the words to as“dee dee dee dee dee dee” without concern, and she never had a nodding relationship to the melody at all.

Jocelyn’s great spirit and vitality are part of her legacy that continue through her family. She will be missed by all the lives she touched.

Jocelyn was the beloved wife of the late Thomas F. Johnston, who she met on Craigville Beach, Cape Cod and married on October 27,1956.  They were together until his death in 1990. She was the devoted mother of Lynne Johnston of Quincy, Jeanne Johnston of Weymouth, Tom Johnston of Boston, Janet Johnston and her partner Carl Cyr of Weymouth, Ken Johnston of Boston, Julie Hart and her husband Stephen of Quincy, and Jennifer Johnston and her husband Brandon Casci of Somerville. Jocelyn was the loving grandmother of 13 and the loving great grandmother of 11. She was the dear sister of Peggy Saquet of Ipswich, Kathy Boffoli and her late husband Jake of Wellfleet, and the late William Matheson. Jocelyn is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to greet the family during the visiting hours on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, 4-8 PM in the Keohane Funeral Home, 785 Hancock St., QUINCY.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held in the funeral home at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, prior to the Funeral Mass at Divine Mercy Parish in St. Ann’s Church, Quincy at 10:30 AM.

Burial in Blue Hill Cemetery, Braintree.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Jocelyn may be sent to American Lung Assoc. in MA, 1661 Worcester Rd., Suite 301, Framingham, MA 01701 or to St. Joseph’s Indian School, P.O. Box #326, Chamberlain, SD 57326.