Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

In Loving Memory - Patricia Johnston

Beloved daughter, sister, aunt, wife, friend, and prayer warrior, Patricia Jean Johnston, 69, of Ft. Wright Kentucky joined the love of her life, husband Tom Johnston, in eternal rest on February 4, 2022. She passed due to cardiac surgery complications at Washington Hospital Center, DC while visiting family members in Maryland following the funeral of her beloved nephew Johnson.

Born in Toledo, Ohio on July 14, 1952, to Joan and Charles Leiter, Patricia was raised alongside her four sisters, attended Notre Dame Academy in Sylvania, Ohio, and the University of Cincinnati (UC).

In 1971 on the UC campus, she was struck by Cupid’s arrow, and her world was forever changed when she met and married Tom Johnston, her husband of 30 years, making her “the luckiest woman to ever draw breath.” The pair made their home in Colerain Township with dogs Maisie, Tucker, Sophie, and Grace. They also traveled to Arizona frequently, but an Alaskan cruise had their hearts as they looked forward to a return trip in the future. 

Following her work as a technician at Greater Cincinnati Dental Lab, the couple founded Johnston Electric in Fairfield, Ohio, where Patricia served as its co-owner and office manager until 2006. They were also active volunteers with the Make a Wish foundation, making dreams come true for so many children across the country with trips to Disneyland, celebrity meet and greets, and home mural installations, just to name a few. 

When Tom passed away after a massive heart attack in 2003, she thought she would never smile again, but a move to Northern Kentucky in 2006 would change her mourning into dancing.  
Joining St. Agnes Church, Patricia attended a CRHP retreat and made several amazing friends who, along with her dogs Lilly and Ginger, would help her live meaningfully without the love of her life. Patricia then began to serve as an Eucharistic Minister at St. Agnes, actively participated in CRHP and Cursillo retreats, and was a participant in numerous prayer groups for the sick and dying, as she was devoted to Divine Mercy. She also began work at Remke Markets. 

Pat was now a beacon of hope for many, never wavering in her faith. In 2018, she became a Hospice volunteer with St. Elizabeth Healthcare making home visits providing comfort for the terminal and elderly in their final days. She then transitioned to working at Patient Visitor Desks at the network’s hospitals in Edgewood, Ft. Thomas, and Florence, Kentucky until 2021. 

Patricia, also known as “Aunt Party” via auto-correct, was an avid Red Wings hockey fan and loved watching figure skating competitions, AKA the “ice-ca-figures.” She enjoyed relaxing with a Jim Beam and Diet while watching classic movies starring Jimmy Cagney, Ginger Rogers, and Mickey Rooney. She also attended several plays and musicals with family and friends and cherished having pajama jamborees with her nieces. Family trips known as “Sisterfest” saw Patricia enjoy the sunrise at the Outer Banks, and kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland. She always said, “There’s nothing better than a beagle,” loved planting her flowers in the spring, was a fan of Luciano Pavorotti, Carlos Nakai, and BB King, but “Put Down the Duckie” was her favorite earworm. Above all, she loved praying for people, a friend indeed to all those who needed prayers around the world. 

In a Facebook post on her last birthday in 2021, she wrote: 

Yesterday was my birthday. I went to breakfast by myself. Rather than being sad sitting at a table for one, I shared my table with my Lord thanking Him for every aspect of my life, my friends and family, all the people of Northern KY and those in OH, PA, MD, VA, TX, and AZ, who knowingly or unknowingly had a profound effect on my faith and happiness! You make my life worth living! What a great gift God has bestowed on me. And it’s it all wrapped up in my little house on Knob Hill! Who needs cake when your heart is filled with blessings? I raise my glass to you! And if you are wondering if you are in my heart … you most definitely are!

Patricia is survived by her aunt, Patricia Lark; sisters Mary Waite (Johnson), Christy Morris (Edward), Susan Michelson (Kevin), and Michelle O’Keefe (Kevin); sister-in-law Betty Colegrove; and numerous nieces and nephews. Patricia is predeceased by parents Joan and Charles Leiter, husband Tom Johnston, and nephew Johnson Waite, Jr. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Monday, March 7, 2022, at 6:00 pm at St. Agnes Church, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/St.+Agnes+Roman+Catholic+Church/@39.0637044,-84.5380808,18.17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x8841b726b21fbfd1:0x619893f885425f61!2s1680+Dixie+Hwy,+Fort+Wright,+KY+41011!3b1!8m2!3d39.0639118!4d-84.5377024!3m4!1s0x8841b726ade1a0ad:0x792fa873f2599345!8m2!3d39.0635821!4d-84.5376299">1680 Dixie Hwy, Fort Wright, KY 41011</a> and will be live-streamed on the St. Agnes website at <a href="https://saintagnes.com/live-stream/">SaintAgnes.com under Video Programming</a>, as well as the St. Agnes Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/St-Agnes-Church-111412835559823">facebook.com/St-Agnes-Church-111412835559823</a>. A gathering will be held immediately after Mass at the Church's Murphy Hall. Interment will be Tuesday morning, March 8, 2022, at 10:00 am at St. Mary's Cemetery, <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+Marys+Cemetery,+2201+Dixie+Hwy,+Fort+Mitchell,+KY+41017/@39.0465144,-84.5543366,17z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x8841b76d1390d0f7:0xce3494466d553531!2s2201+Dixie+Hwy,+Fort+Mitchell,+KY+41017!3b1!8m2!3d39.0465144!4d-84.5521479!3m4!1s0x8841b76c69d47d2d:0x4e3a386f6b772e28!8m2!3d39.043519!4d-84.5490827">2201 Dixie Hwy, Fort Mitchell, KY 41017</a>.

In lieu of flowers, Pat's family suggests memorial contributions in Pat and Tom Johnston's name
to the Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana Chapter of Make a Wish: https://wish.org/oki/our-chapter

"Joy is an abiding God-given reality; a fruit of the Holy Spirit characterized by a profound serenity and inner peace which flows from allowing oneself to be embraced by God's love and is capable of withstanding all the trials and tribulations of life." -Pope Benedict XVI

Please take a moment and leave a condolence for the family by using the memories tab on the left.

Patricia J. Johnston

Patricia J. Johnston

Patricia Johnston Services

No public services planned at this time