Weymouth Couple Hopes Truth About Daughter’s Overdose Death Will Spur Change

Family members who lose a loved one to drug or alcohol abuse almost never include the cause of death in the obituary. For Mary and Richard Johansen of Weymouth, publishing the cause of death – a heroin overdose – in their daughter Katie’s obituary was an easy decision. They say telling people the harsh truth about opiate addiction is the only way to combat an epidemic that is tearing families apart across the South Shore.