Dedicated to her family, golf enthusiast
Published in the June 28, 2017 edition
LYNNFIELD — Pauline (Johnson) Mountain, 88, of Lynnfield, formerly of Melrose, died peacefully in her sleep on June 24, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was the wife of Thomas “Mickey” Mountain, who died last year.
Pauline, the daughter of Lloyd and Annie (Burke) Johnson, was the first baby born at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford. Her birth came as a joyful surprise to her middle aged parents, who had her portrait taken each year throughout the 1930’s.
Her father, age 54 at her birth, was originally from Crumpsall, England, and in the 1890’s was among the first British representatives in the Belgian Congo. Her mother was the granddaughter of a British colonial officer in India.
Pauline grew up in Salem and later lived in Malden. At age 10, she took the train from Boston to attend the 1939 Worlds Fair in New York City, with her Aunt Belle and Uncle George Kayser, the event’s Chief Architect.
She met her future husband Mickey at a high school dance at Malden Catholic when they were 15. After his stint in the Marines, they married in 1951, and raised four children in Malden and Melrose, spending most of their summers at Wyman’s Beach in Westford.
In retirement, Pauline and Mickey were golf enthusiasts who traveled widely, and delighted in attending their grandchildren’s sporting events, then visiting their colleges in Montreal, Amherst, Portland and Burlington, Vermont. She was blessed with five great-grandchildren, all of whom lived nearby.
Pauline is survived by her daughter Janet Doyle and her husband David of North Andover; Joyce Toomey and her fiancé Bill Russo of Merrimac; Jean Humphrey of Millis; and Tom Mountain and his wife Ora of Newton. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Scott LeBlanc and his wife Abigail of Hamilton; Jamie Kirkman and her husband Shane of Hamilton; Michael Toomey of Haverhill; Andrew Mountain and his wife Elisa of San Francisco, California; Daniel Mountain and Jennifer Mountain of Newton; and Evan Humphrey and Dean Humphrey of Millis. She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: William, Benjamin, and Allison Kirkman; Hannah and Charlotte LeBlanc; and her devoted great-niece Christine Emmons Rios.
A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, June 28 at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 40 Grove St, Lynnfield, beginning at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to the Foundation Fighting Blindness at www.blindness.org or 7168 Columbia Gateway Drive, Suite 100, Columbia, MD 21046-3256. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit gatelyfh.com.
