Agnes M (D'Aguiar) Johnson

As Aggie was awaiting discharge from Rhode Island Hospital, the Physical Therapist stopped by to do her final assessment. Aggie, like many people, did not enjoy the PT’s demands. At one point, she looked up, eyes narrowed, and asked, suspiciously, “What’s your name?” The PT responded, “Michelle.” Aggie’s eyes narrowed further as she returned, “Well, Michelle, I’ll be coming back to haunt you when I’m gone.” Without skipping a beat, Michelle responded, “Get in line, Agnes – and it’s a long line.” Aggie lifted her chin, and a knowing smirk appeared across her face. A generation much younger than Aggie’s would describe this as the “Game Recognizes Game” look.

If you knew Aggie, you knew her sharp wit, and you knew that look.

Known as Agnes, Aggie, Vavao and Little A, she passed away peacefully on December 5th, 2025, in the home she shared with her daughter and family in Warren, RI. Born “down the Cape,” Agnes spent her very early years in East Falmouth and her school age years in New Bedford, before settling in Barrington, RI where she resided for nearly 40 years. She was preceded in death by the love of her life and “matcher of wits” - her husband of 40 years, David Lincoln Johnson (most definitely NOT a “Senior” by the way). She was also predeceased by her parents, Victor and Mary D’Aguiar, her stepsons, David Johnson and William Johnson, and her brothers and sisters, Joseph D’Aguiar, Victor “Uncle Junior” D’Aguiar, Gilbert D’Aguiar, Beatrice Gargone and Bernice Kingsley.

Growing up Catholic, Aggie once wished to become a nun. Lucky for Dave, she changed her mind at some point – it may have been when she started sneaking cigarettes in Catholic school. She and Dave were married in a small ceremony in New Bedford, with Aggie “killing it” in a chic 1960’s sheath mini-dress. (She, in fact, wanted to be buried in that dress - if only it hadn’t been lost in the great move from Barrington to Tiverton).

She embraced Protestantism after meeting Dave and remained a devoted member of the Riverside Covenant Church for more than 50 years, faithfully supporting it through its various name and denomination changes. Within the church, she was a dynamic leader, guiding outreach efforts in countless ways—not least by co-founding the Covenant Cooperative Nursery School with one of her closest friends, a program that continues to thrive five decades later. Beyond her church, she was equally committed to her Barrington community, serving for many years as a respected member of the Barrington Library Board of Trustees.

Aggie was once an English teacher at New Bedford Junior High School, and later, a substance abuse counselor at CODAC. While her jobs and her degrees did not define her, it would come as no surprise to anyone who knew her that she chose professions in service to others.

Aggie was a Master Crafter. From knitting to crocheting to cross-stitching to sewing to smocking to QUILTING (quite possibly her second true love, next to Dave), she excelled at it all and blessed so many friends and family with pieces of her beautiful handiwork. She has left behind many “WIPs” - as she referred to them (“Works in Progress” in case you were wondering).

A trait she did not necessarily pass down to her children, Aggie was quite the athlete. She picked up tennis quickly, playing regularly in a couples league with Dave every Sunday night at Kenbrind and Sherwood and that other tennis place on Route 6 in Seekonk. Once the knees and shoulders became too “creaky” (as they often do when blessed with a long life), she and Dave switched to golf. She often could be seen playing in the Ladies League at RI Country Club and the Wamponoag Golf Course (aka, “The Swamp”).

With every passion she pursued came friendships that were both effortless and enduring. Her quilting circle, her golf companions, her Barrington neighbors, her colleagues, and her church community were among the many she touched—she leaves behind countless friends and loved ones who will miss her dearly.

She is survived by her son, Ture Johnson, and his wife Jessica; her daughter, Jen Rainone, and her husband Jason (quite possibly Aggie’s favorite); and her stepson, Gunnar Johnson, and his wife Beth. She will also be dearly missed by her grandchildren: Dylan Williams, David Johnson, Rhian Johnson, Lincoln Johnson, Winnie Rainone, Soren Johnson, and Lily Johnson. Aggie will be laid to rest in a private burial in Forest Chapel Cemetery in Barrington, RI.

Honoring her wishes to avoid a winter service—when, as she said, “nobody would dress up” and “there would be no pretty flowers”—her Celebration of Life will be held on  Saturday, March 14, at 11:00 a.m. at Riverside Covenant Church, 165 Rounds Avenue, Riverside, RI.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made online at www.HopeHealthCo.org/InMemory or sent to HopeHealth Hospice, 1085 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904.