Ray Johnson

Marlys and family, so sorry to hear about the accident and passing of Ray. Dad and Mom were so proud that he was able to take what they and he started and combine it to be the success that it became. I am sure that there is some serious hanger flying going on now.

I was saddened to hear about the accident in Oshkosh and prayed for a much different outcome. Ray - your presence and kind smile will be missed. To the Johnson family - I'm sorry. I pray that in the coming days and months you find comfort in all the memories and can laugh at stories as you reminisce, and that when you see a plane, it brings a smile to your face knowing Ray is home.

Sorry for your loss.

Ray ("Guy") and Marlys were our closest neighbors, about a half mile south, when I was a kid growing up on the farm in the small community of Swan Lake, MN, near New Ulm. Guy gave me my first "real job" when I was 15, working for him as a summertime farmhand cultivating corn and beans, baling hay, chopping fodder for the cows, helping with the milking in his then state-of-the-art milking parlor operation, etc. We worked hard together, long days, but his kindness and good humor made it a very enjoyable and memorable experience. He had a little yellow airplane then, and it was clear that aviation was his true calling. Sometimes he would leave me to finish up the morning milking while he went for a fly. I worked for him until I graduated from high school and went off to college. About that same time Guy decided to make the leap from farming to aviation, a bold and daring move but, in retrospect, obviously the right one. I was never surprised to hear how wonderfully successful he and his whole family had become in that new enterprise. He lived his dream, and in that he was a very lucky man. Guy Johnson was a fine, fine fellow, and I will always cherish the memory of those summer days long ago when he taught me how to work hard and strive to fulfill one's personal dreams and aspirations. I was so saddened to learn of his death. My most sincere condolences go to Marlys and the rest of the Johnson family.

My husband and son both flew for Ray and Pete. Such nice, kind people. My husband died in 2004 and they arranged a jet flyover after taps at the graveside service. What a memory. I am so sorry but hope you're taking comfort that he died flying. This time he kept soaring upward.

My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I will always remember Ray's kind words and spirit.

We did not know Ray but wanted to send our heart felt condolences to his family and friends.

We were on the lake the evening of the accident and witnessed the very scary event. We are very saddened to have learned the outcome.

We send our thoughts and prayers to all of you. God Bless.

So sorry for your loss.

I recall the time Ray offered me a ride in his plane. It was the first time, and perhaps my last, of landing on water. It was an incredible experience, as we cruised on the water like a speed boat, multiple take offs and landings. He was always kind and humble to me, most importantly he lived his life doing what he loved. That is a rare thing. My sympathies to his family.