Loretta Johnston

Loretta was born July 8, 1931 in Gray, TX to the late Lamar and Ava (Chase) McWhirter. She died Monday, December 14, 2020 in Sulphur at the age of 89 years 5 months and 6 days. She and William Donald “Bill” Johnston, Jr. were married on August 19, 1949. He preceded her in death on September 21, 1981.

Loretta grew up in the Victoria, TX area, graduating from Alice High School in 1949. She began her working career as a switchboard operator for the Bell Telephone Company in Victoria, prior to the family moving to Seymour, TX. In 1960, Bill’s job with the Dale Lumber Company brought the family to Davis. Once in Davis, Loretta spent a few years working with the Garvin County Community Action Program, prior to working for the First National Bank in Davis. The last years of her working career was spent as the secretary of transportation for the Oklahoma School for the Deaf in Sulphur, retiring in 1997.

Loretta was quite the dancer. She and many of her friends spent countless hours at area dances, enjoying every minute of it. In younger years she was an exceptional seamstress and participated in many craft shows. Loretta loved garage sales and very rarely ever passed one that she didn’t stop just to make sure there wasn’t something there she might want.

Survivors include her son, Craig Johnston & wife Denise of Tishomingo; daughter, Brenda Winter & husband Gregg of Oklahoma City; daughter-in-law, Gail Johnston of Davis; three grandchildren, Adam Young & wife Jolean, Jill Luker & husband Jeff and Jessica Johnston; four great-grandchildren, Athena & Ayden Young and Olivia and Owen Luker; one sister, Colene Briley of Springfield, MO; as well as her companion, Larry Langeberg of Sulphur.

In addition to her parents and husband, Loretta was preceded in death by one son, Donald Wayne Johnston on October 6, 2010; grandson, Jason Young; and five siblings, Betty Miller, Peggy Stanford, J.B. McWhirter, Calvin McWhirter and Louise Chilton.