Obituary – Céline Johnston touched lives of many and left the very best impression
Céline Johnston passed away peacefully at Newbrook Nursing Home in Mullingar on September 14, aged 92. She was preceded by her husband, Denis, in November 2012, and her brother, Fr Fonso Walsh. She is survived by her nine children: David, Shane, Gerry, Mark, Eva, Sarah, Matthew, Paul, and Marie Louise, and her 24 grandchildren.
Born on May 17, 1932 to John J and Mai Walsh of Shankill, County Dublin, Céline grew up there before marrying Denis and moving to Mullingar in 1959. Céline lived much of her life in the town, as a loving wife, a loving mother, and an enthusiastic member of the community, participating in its many activities, social and charitable.
By any measure, Céline was an extraordinary mother and grandmother, with a boundless energy for all of her family. And while each of her children will cherish our different memories of her, perhaps the word that best describes her is ‘brilliant’. Brilliant in the sense of the radiance of the love and nurture she imparted to each of us at every stage on our journey to adulthood. When we look now at our extended family, it’s never more clear how much we all meant to her. And her to us, as we mourn the loss of a woman who did everything in her ability to ensure the joy and wellbeing of every member of her family.
While her husband and family were her focus, Céline’s interests were always wider than her own offspring and she was tireless in her efforts to help people in need of aid. Her charity started at home with her fundraising efforts for the Children’s Leprosy Fund, the charity of her brother, Fr Fonso, which provided essential sustenance to kids with leprosy at the Redemptorist mission near Cebu, in the Philippines. She also gave time and energy to causes she cared about in the community, such as the disabled riding initiative, Meals on Wheels and latterly, RUKBA Ireland. That was equally true of her full and far-reaching tenure with the Westmeath Pony Club. In each endeavour, she would commit her considerable charm, tremendous energy, and unerring talent for gathering people behind an idea to give real impetus to the assistance that could be offered.
It was that same charm, energy and warmth that imbued her interactions every day with all around her when she was out and about in Mullingar, or in Dublin, or wherever she happened to be. She would effortlessly connect with whomever she bumped into as she went about whatever her mission of that moment might be, always with a gentle touch, a smile, or a kind and sympathetic word – qualities that will resonate with those who knew her well.
Perhaps a less well known quality about Céline was her ability to embrace change and grow as challenges emerged. A devout Catholic, she grasped the complexity of the contradictions that her faith often posed and managed to meaningfully stitch them into the fabric of her everyday life. That personal growth would enable her to ensure nothing would distract her from being connected and close to those who were nearest and dearest to her.
Céline was a woman who loved life, a nurturer of all that existed within her universe: people, creatures, and plants alike. She had a sense of humour and fun that she retained all of her days, enjoying being the person who was laughing and also being the person who could make people laugh. Even when the disease took firm hold, she never let her sense of humour go, something that her carers remarked on many times.
Céline continues to be an inspiration to all of the members of her family. If it was just for this that we would remember her, it would be enough. But she was and did so much more. There is so much to hold dear and celebrate about her life, and it is that which will ensure she will remain with us until our own time comes.