Julia (Donahue) Learnard, age 90, of Brockton, died June 23, 2011 at Good Samaritan Medical Center following a period of failing health. She was married for 64 years to John Walter Learnard. Born December 25, 1920 in Brookfield, MA, she was the daughter of the late Henry Martin and Mary (Walker) Donahue. She was a graduate of Brookfield High School, class of 1938, and received her BS degree from The College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, NY in 1942. Julie was employed in the personnel department of Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Corporation from 1942 to 1947 and was a substitute teacher at Brookfield High School and Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge, MA from 1950 to 1956. She was a Secretary in the Administrator’s office at the Cardinal Cushing General Hospital in Brockton for 14 years and also worked as a volunteer at the hospital for many years, with over 18,000 hours of service. In 2007 she received the hospital’s Caring with Excellence Award. Julie was a member of the Board of Trustees at the Bethany Hill School for Multi-Impaired Deaf Children in Framingham for several years and of the Charles River Association of Retarded Citizens in Needham. She was a former member of the College Club in Brockton, had been active in St. Edward’s Parish and was a member of the Brockton Area Association for Retarded Citizens since 1960. In hopes of helping her son John maximize his abilities, Julie organized and coordinated an intricate patterning program consisting of three five-person teams working with John in their home three times a day for four years.
Julie was the mother of Mary “Elizabeth” Carriuolo and her husband Richard of Falmouth, Maine, Margaret Ann “Margie” McLuskey and her husband Gerard of Bridgewater, and John Henry Learnard of Needham. She was the grandmother of Kerin Ann McLuskey and her husband Chad Onufrechuk of Belmont, and Michael John McLuskey and his wife Melody of New Bedford, and great grandmother of Jack Hunter McLuskey. She also leaves two integral members of her family, Kenneth McLaughlin (and his wife Cheryl) of Cleveland, Ohio, and Michael McLaughlin (and his wife Catherine) of Boston, and their respective families. She was the sister of the late Mary Philippa Donahue and George William Donahue and leaves many nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held at the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont St. (Rte 123) Brockton Tuesday 4-8 pm. The funeral procession will gather at the funeral home Wednesday at 9:30am followed by a Funeral Mass in St. Edith Stein/St. Edward Parish at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers please consider donations in Julie’s name to Charles River Association for Retarded Citizens, 59 E. Militia Heights Rd., Needham, MA 02492.