Carlene J. (Johnson) Arsenault, age 82, of Melrose, formerly of Stoneham and Winchester, passed away on July 3, 2024. She was the beloved longtime companion of the late Robert Galante.
Born in Boston, Carlene was the daughter of George and Nora (Goggin) Johnson. She was raised and educated in Winchester and graduated from Winchester High School with the class of 1959, where she excelled as a Tumblette on the team that her family was instrumental in forming at the high school. She also became very talented at swimming.
She moved to Stoneham with her former husband, the late Bernard J. Arsenault, where she raised her children. She spent most of her career in and around athletics. She worked at the
J. W. Hayden Recreation Center in Lexington where she was a gymnastics instructor for over 25 years, taught swimming and was the Associate Director of their Summer Day Camp. Additionally, Carlene was a high-level United States Gymnastic Federation Official in the Northeast Region.
In her retirement, Carlene enjoyed following the activities of her 5 grandchildren in sports, dance and art. She also was involved with the Stoneham Garden Club and the Stoneham Library.
Carlene is lovingly survived by her sons Scott Arsenault and his wife Nancy of Stow, Mark Arsenault and his wife Melissa of Billerica. She was the devoted grandmother of Madeleine, Patrick, Audrey, Casey and Aiden Arsenault. She was the dear sister of George Johnson and his wife Brenda of Brookline, Noreen Connell and her late husband James of Marshfield and the late Marguerite Dykeman. She is further survived by several nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Visitation will be held at the Costello Funeral Home, 177 Washington St., Winchester on Wednesday, July 10th from 5 to 7 PM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend.
Burial is private.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Carlene’s memory may be made to the Stoneham Garden Club at https://www.gcfm.org/stoneham-garden-club, the Stoneham Public Library 431 Main St., Stoneham, MA 02180 https://www.stonehamlibrary.org or to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org.