Jean Sawtelle Johansen, of Ocala, Florida and Nashua, NH, passed away in Ocala on February 21, 2021.
Jean was born in Nashua, New Hampshire in 1926, daughter of Edgar and Clara (Tiernan) Sawtelle. The family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida looking for work during the depression. At age ten Jean’s mother died of breast cancer and Jean returned to Nashua. She was raised by her Aunt Mary Lamb, and her Uncle Charles Tiernan and his wife Yvonne. She attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Nashua High School in 1944.
Jean was a factory worker at some of the local manufacturers in Nashua. In 1962 she began working at the Nashua Corporation and became one of the first female foreman for that company. She remained at the Nashua Corporation until she retired.
For the past 25 years Jean split her time, living in Ocala, Florida for the winter and in Nashua for the rest of the year. She was an avid bridge and pinochle player at the Nashua Senior Center. She was a voracious reader, keeping a list of the over 4,300 books she had read.
Always strong and independent to the end, one of her doctor’s said that she was amazing for a 93-year-old and that she was a very young 93. She passed away due to pneumonia after a brief illness.
Jean is survived by her son, Mark Sawtelle and her cousins, Irene Jean, Clara Guerra, Kathleen Gawloski, and Edward Lamb. She was predeceased by her husband, Henry Johansen, and cousins Martin Tiernan, Leo Tiernan, and Ruth Moreau. She was loved and will be missed by all.
A graveside service took place at St. Patrick Cemetery in Hudson on Thursday, April 15th. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for both Jean and her sister, Ruth Janet Moreau, on Thursday, July 8th at 9:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Church, 29 Spring Street, Nashua. Local arrangements are in the care of the FARWELL FUNERAL SERVICE, 18 Lock Street, Nashua. www.farwellfuneralservice.com
