Mrs. Rennie W. (Lavery) Johnston, 80, of Chambersburg, PA, passed away Sunday, April 12, 2026, in her home with her two daughters by her side.
Born August 1, 1945, in Glasgow, Scotland, she was the middle of 8 children of the late James and Annie (Throll) Lavery.
Rennie grew up in Scotland before making her way to the United States. Once here, she settled in Baltimore, MD and later made her way to Florida, California, and Colorado before settling her family in Chambersburg.
She and her husband, the late Alastair M. Johnston were married June 27, 1980, in Greenock, Scotland. They enjoyed 20 years of marriage together before Mr. Johnston passed away April 1, 2001.
In her younger years, she worked at a whisky bond in Glasgow, Scotland. She later worked for a Tannery in Mercersburg, PA, and most recently worked in the fine jewelry department at BonTon in the Chambersburg Mall.
Rennie found great joy in the simple and meaningful moments of life. She loved reading and getting lost in a good book. She cherished time spent with her family and grandchildren. She had a special fondness for jewelry and enjoyed shopping of all kinds, always finding happiness in the little things. In her later years, some of her most treasured moments were those spent with her youngest daughter, Rachel, and her two grandchildren, Lavery and Kristopher.
She is survived by her three children, Alex Laurie of Cumbernauld, Scotland, Heather Johnston of Philadelphia, PA, and Rachel Richards of Chambersburg; nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren; her sister, Jean Murphy and her brother, Andrew Lavery both of Glasgow, Scotland; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by her siblings, Elizabeth Lavery, James Lavery, Anne (Lavery) MacDonald, Margaret (Lavery) Laird, and Walter Lavery all of Glasgow, Scotland.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026 from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Orchard Run Apartments Community Center located at 100 Apple Blossom Way, Chambersburg.
Grove-Bowersox Funeral Home, Waynesboro, PA is handling the arrangements.
