Donald B. Johnson

Donald B. "Don" Johnson, 67, of Sanford, died June 20 at the Goodall Hospital in Sanford after a long illness.He was born in Sanford on December 6, 1939 a son of Arthur and Germaine (Bourre) Johnson. He attended local schools and was a graduate of Sanford High School.He was employed over the years as a service engineer with Compo Industries in Waltham, MA, as a machinist mechanic at CyRo Industries in Sanford and as a nuclear inside outside machinist at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard from where he retired in 1983 due to ill health.Don was quite an imaginative and talented tinkerer. His family recalls that he could fix just about anything that had moving parts and that he was a patent-holding inventor. A computer geek, he was especially talented at scanning photos and recording music onto family album DVDs. A pencil-sketch artist, he once won a contest as a youngster at the Lafayette School to design new drapes for the school.Don liked his rides, in his T-Bird, on his motorcycle in the summer and on his snowmobile in the winter. He was very at home in the outdoors where he tended to his many birdfeeders and his vegetable and flower gardens. Don loved to sit by his little brook and in his younger days he enjoyed hunting. Don was also an avid poker player. In more recent years when he couldn't get out as much, he became a cable news junkie, keeping tabs on the world and all that was going on in it. He paid particular attention to the goings on in the Middle East where his beloved granddaughter Cindy Phillips has served two tours of duty in Iraq with the US Air Force.He was a former member of the Sanford Elks Lodge and the Springvale KC's.He was predeceased by a son, Dana Lee Johnson in 1986.Survivors include his wife of almost 44 years, Donna M. (Brackett) Johnson of Sanford, 7 children, Chris Johnson and his wife Laurie of Waterboro, Sharon Phillips and her husband James of Springvale, Donna LaRose and her husband Michael of Sanford, Glenn Johnson and his wife Elaine of Sanford, Linda Ganslow and her husband Bill of Wells, Lisa Johnson of Sanford, Nick Johnson of Sanford, a granddaughter he raised as his own child, Krystal Johnson of Springvale, a brother, Robert Johnson of Middletown, CT, a sister, Dorothy Alexander of Sanford, an aunt, Josephine Bourre of Sanford, 20 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren, several nieces, nephews, cousins, and his beloved cocker spaniels JJ and Fritz.Visiting hours will be held on Friday from 2-4 and 6-8 PM at the Lafrance-Lambert & Black Funeral Home, 29 Winter Street, Sanford. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Therse of Lisieux Parish, St. Ignatius Church on Saturday at 11:00 AM. Burial will follow in St. Ignatius Cemetery.Those planning an expression of sympathy as asked to consider Southern Maine Hospice, 901 Washington Avenue Suite 104, Portland, ME 04103. To leave the family a message of condolence, please use the "Condolences" tab at left.