Martha Stickney Johnston

Martha Stickney Johnston, 94, died on Tuesday, June 17 at The Heritage Inn in Charlottesville, VA. Martha was born on April 18, 1931, in Boston, Massachusetts to George A. and Pauline C. Stickney. She was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband, S. G. W. Johnston. She grew up in Newton Massachusetts where she graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1949. She then attended Lesley College, graduating in 1953 with a degree in elementary education. After graduation she taught for several years at the John Ward Elementary School in Newton. On April 2, 1956, she married Stafford Gorman "Whittle" Johnston at Christ Church in Cambridge. In 1959, Martha and Whittle moved to the Washington, D.C. area where they lived until 1971 and then moved to Charlottesville where she spent the remainder of her life. Martha was a long-time member of All Saints Anglican Church, volunteered for Recording for the Blind, and she enjoyed many happy years with her family, friends and beloved pets. She is survived by 3 children: Stafford Johnston (Susan) of Arnold, MD., Caithness "Cata" Sawyer (Russ) of Charlottesville, and Ruth Vaughan (Brandt) of Bellevue, WA; and 7 grandchildren: Carrie Hannigan (Aaron), Sarah Johnston, Christopher Johnston (Melody), George Sawyer, Stafford Vaughan, Martha Mullins (Jackson), and Andrew Vaughan. She will be deeply missed but we rejoice that she is now with her savior. A graveside service will be held Saturday, June 21, at 2:00 pm at Monticello Memory Gardens 670 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Following the service a reception will be held at The Local Restaurant 824 Hinton Avenue, Charlottesville, VA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association PO Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116. https://diabetes.org/?form=FUNYHSQXNZD Condolences may be shared on the tribute wall.