Obituary of William Ray Johnson

Bill was born in Montevideo, Minnesota, to Palmer and Edna Johnson. He had one older brother, Bob. Palmer was an actor in a travelling roadshow as a younger man who had settled into a career as a theater manager by the time Bill was born. During Bill's childhood, the family often lived in an apartment over the theater. Bill enjoyed seeing all the movies that came to town and being able to invite friends to the movies regularly. His family moved about in the Dakotas and Minnesota as his father opened new theaters. As a youth, Bill helped his father install the first drive in theater in the state of North Dakota and worked there after it opened. Immediately after high school, Bill enlisted in the Air Force and served for eight years. In the Air Force, he was trained in the communications field. After his discharge, Bill continued to work in this field as a civilian employee of the Air Force. He spent several years providing logistics support for Boeing Aerospace installing communications at the Minuteman missile sites and the Houston Manned Spacecraft Center. After the completion of the contracts with Boeing, Bill worked for the Wyoming Highway Department and managed bowling centers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado, before returning to work for the Air Force in a civilian capacity. Bill spent the next twenty years serving at Air Force bases in New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana and Georgia. He was especially proud of his involvement with the SR-71 "Blackbird" and U-2 "Dragon Lady" aircraft programs. Bill had three children with his first wife, Helen: Dorothy, James and Donna. In 1980 Bill and Michelle were married and her children Stephen and Tracy lived with them in various locations. Bill and Michelle continued to move after his retirement but always remained close to family, finally settling in the Triangle in 2000. During high school, Bill's love of bowling began when Bill worked as a pinsetter at the local bowling center. Over his lifetime, he became a very accomplished bowler, excelling in competitions at all levels and bowling numerous 300 games. Bill was active in the bowling community wherever he lived and was a sought after teammate. He was sociable and well-liked. Bill and Michelle enjoyed travel - to bowling tournaments, on cruises, to visit cities such as St Augustine and Savannah. For seven years they owned a narrowboat and traveled the canals of England for about four months a year. In England, Bill especially liked traveling through the picturesque countryside and villages and engaging with local people. After his declining health made bowling and travel difficult, Bill found contentment at home reading science fiction, working Sudoku puzzles, visiting with his grandchildren, and playing with his dog, Dinah. Bill was predeceased by his parents and brother. He is survived by his wife, Michelle; and by his children and grandchildren, Dorothy Johnson of Clifton, Colorado (Andrew, Kate, Kathleen, and Carrie); James and Anne Johnson of Mayville, North Dakota (Chrystal); Donna and Richard Voeller, Billings, Montana; Stephen and Laura Irwin of Chapel Hill (Edie and Andrew); and Tracy and Timothy Hall of Durham (J.R., David, Katherine, Mary, Fritz, Stephen, and Peter). He is also survived by five great-grandchildren and three nephews. The family expresses their gratitude to his medical team and the Duke Heart Center for outstanding care and compassion over many years. We are especially grateful to Doctors Patrick Kavanaugh, Michael Blazing, Sana Al-Khatib, Scott Runyon, and Lisa Povsic, PA. Donations to the Duke Health Fund are suggested in lieu of flowers.