Mrs Johnston (60) died after a shooting incident at her home last Friday and about 500 people attended her funeral service in the Roxburgh Town Hall yesterday.
Officiating were the Rev Petra Barber and Otaki Health Camp kaumatua August Akuhata.
Mrs Johnston was a long-serving Roxburgh Health Camp staff member, and the national health camp's chief executive, Dr Fiona Inkpen, was one of many health camp representatives who attended the funeral.
Dwight McDowell worked with Mrs Johnston at the camp and paid tribute to her yesterday.
He said they had been talking recently about staff farewells and she said if she left work before him, he was to give the speech at her farewell.
"She said: `Lie if you have to and if you can, try and get a few tears out of them.' Well, Lesley, there's no shortage of tears but this is the kind of speech I never expected to have to give."
Mrs Johnston was rightly proud about what she had achieved in her work, Mr McDowell said.
She had embraced the Maori love of waiata and was extremely moved by such tributes from her colleagues at her daughter Richelle's funeral two years ago.
It was fitting to have waiata feature in her own service.
Mrs Johnston made work fun, he said.
A typical "Lesley moment" was when she would be running late for work so would arrive still in her pyjamas.
"She was a people person, whose presence lit up a room when she walked in, but there was a humble side to Lesley. She did what she did selflessly."
Daughter-in-law Jo Johnston described "the most wonderful, caring, fun, mother and grandmother".
The family had lived in Milton and Oamaru before moving to Roxburgh in 1986.
A haka was performed by Roxburgh Area School pupils as the casket was carried from the hall.
