CHICOPEE – Dolores Marie (Tobias) Johnstone, 77, died after a brave battle with cancer on November 10th, 2023. She was born in Westfield on October 22nd, 1946, to the late Stephen and Jessie (Dzielak) Tobias. She was a lifelong resident of Westfield MA and attended local schools. She has lived in Chicopee for the past 11 years. Dolores attended Springfield Technical Community College and studied as a surgical technician. She was also a longtime deli clerk at the Westfield Food Mart and worked as a food service technician in the Westfield School District for 15 years. She enjoyed traveling (especially to the beach and New Mexico), cooking, and was a lifelong “sports mom.”
Dolores was predeceased by her loving husband of 48 years, James Johnstone.
She leaves behind her three children, Scott Johnstone and his wife Cindy of Hillsborough NH, Tracy McIsaac of Westfield, and Amanda Burgess and her husband Jay of Atkinson NH, and her sister-in-law Julie Cowels of Huntington. She was a loving Grammy to her eight grandchildren: Julia, Chuck, Jessica, Stephen, Kelsey, Jake, Owen, and Raegan, and Great-Grammy to ten great-granddaughters. She also leaves behind many loving nieces, nephews, and friends.
She was predeceased by her brother Larry Tobias, brothers-in-law Jack Muransky and Jonathan Cowels, and dearest friend Claire Hora.
The family would like to thank the kind and dedicated doctors at Dana-Farber and Baystate Medical Center.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, November 15th from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. A service will be held at 1:00 p.m. from the Firtion-Adams Funeral Service, 76 Broad Street, Westfield. Dolores will be laid to rest with Jim in the Mass Veterans Memorial Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. Donations in memory of Dolores may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 10 Brookline Place, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445.
