Richard F. Johnson, 74 Was U.S. veteran; enjoyed woodworking

ASHBURNHAM - Richard F. Johnson, 74, of 79 Holt Road, died Friday, April 20, 2007, at Heywood Hospital, Gardner, after being stricken ill at home.

He was born in Fitchburg on Nov. 4, 1932, the son of the late Frank and Ann S. (Koski) Johnson. He was a 1952 graduate of Fitchburg High School.

After high school he joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, he was a corporal.

Mr. Johnson had worked as a patent maker and a model maker, in Fitchburg for the Fitchburg Patent Co., in Turners Falls for the Monique Co., for Ed Larson in Townsend for many years, for Ed Camp in Worcester, and retired from Sterilite as a model maker.

He was a member of the Swallow Hill Rod and Gun Club in Rindge, N.H., a member of Saima Park, and was a lifelong avid bowler. He was also a woodworker who loved to build things around his home.

Mr. Johnson leaves his wife of 48 years, Barbara M. (Rossbach) Johnson, they were married on April 26, 1959; one brother and his wife John and Irodell Johnson of Fitchburg; one sister and her husband, Carol and Joseph Comeau of Pocologan, New Brunswick, Canada; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Funeral services will be held Friday, April 27, at 11 a.m. in the Westminster Chapel of the Sawyer-Miller-Masciarelli Funeral Homes, 123 Main St., Westminster, Mass. 01473

Burial will follow in the St. Joseph's Cemetery, 486 Clarendon St., Fitchburg. Calling hours in the funeral home are Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Ashburnham Fire and Rescue, 12 Memorial Drive, Ashburnham, MA 01431; or the Ashburnham Animal Patrol, 12 Memorial Drive, Ashburnham, MA 01431.