ALTON, NH----Linda June Kilburn Johnson, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and artist, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. She was 81.
Born on August 17, 1943, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Linda was the daughter of Floyd and Ruth (Gardner) Kilburn.
Linda leaves behind her husband of over 61 years, Ray Johnson. The two met while in college in Boston in 1961—Linda attending the Vesper George School of Art, where she studied fine arts, and Ray at the Wentworth Institute studying aeronautical technology. They married in December 1963 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, beginning a lifetime of love, creativity, and family.
Together, Linda and Ray raised their two children, Ken and Kristen, in East Hampstead, New Hampshire, in a home built by her father Floyd and husband Ray.
An accomplished watercolor artist, Linda’s work was widely exhibited and sold throughout New England. Her paintings, often focused on landscapes and nature, reflected her deep appreciation for the beauty around her. In addition to her artwork, Linda found joy in gardening and loved getting her hands dirty—cultivating vibrant flowers and bountiful vegetables.
In 1992, Linda and Ray purchased a camp on Sunset Lake, a place that quickly became the heart of the family. So strong was their love for the lake and its peaceful surroundings that they built a year-round home there, designed by Linda herself. Her artistic eye and design sense shaped a beautiful, welcoming space where she and Ray lived for the remainder of her life. Her family was the center of her life, and she delighted in spending time with them, especially at the family’s cherished home on Sunset Lake in Alton, New Hampshire.
Linda’s warmth, creativity, and enduring love for her family and nature leave a lasting legacy. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.
Family members include her husband, Ray of Alton, children Ken, and wife Diana Johnson and Kristen Dalphond, and husband Mark Dionne. Linda was a proud and loving grandmother to five grandchildren: Tucker Johnson and his wife Cailei Johnson, Max Johnson, and Corey, Megan, and Ben Dalphond. In addition to her parents, both of whom predeceased her, she was also predeceased by her beloved sister, Jeannie Lonergan.
Calling Hours will be held on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 from 4:00pm-5:30pm, in the Carriage House at Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, NH. A formal time of sharing of remembrances will begin at 5:30.
For those wishing, the family suggests donations may be made in Linda’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation: https://tinyurl.com/42zmjy4r or by mail at Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD, 21741
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services/603Cremations.com, Laconia, NH, is assisting the family with arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial, please visit wilkinsonbeane.com.