Obituary for Raymond Johnson Jr.
Raymond Alden Johnson Jr., 72, passed on November 30, 2021. Ray was born in Worcester, to Lorraine and Raymond Johnson Sr. He leaves behind one brother, Stephen Johnson of Washington state. He was predeceased by both of his parents and two sisters; Susan Johnson and Delores Micelli. Most importantly, he will be greatly missed by “his girls,” his wife of 49 years, Karen (Arena) and his daughter, Kristen, as well as his best friend Todd Levesque, who was there for Ray until the very end.
Ray attended Worcester Vocational High School. He went on to work at Johnson Steel and Wire in Worcester and then became a career Heat and Frost Insulator for over 25 years. After leaving the trade he worked for the Worcester Housing Authority for over 10 years. In recent years, he enjoyed transporting WPI students for Valet Park.
It was clear that after close to 50 years, Ray still always got a huge kick out of wife Karen every day. Equally as obvious, was his love for his extensive network of great friends. If you knew Ray, you loved him. His witty sense of humor coupled with his warm and calm demeanor made him easy to talk to. His genuine loyalty resulted in so many valuable friendships. He especially enjoyed his times at Herbie’s and spoke of his friends there with high regard. Friends will remember Ray most for his captivating stories and array of unique knowledge about so many topics. Most notably, his stories always involved a one liner that had us all laughing hysterically.
His loss will be felt by all of those whose lives he touched. In lieu of donations and/or flowers, please honor Ray by having a drink with someone you care about to celebrate his life. That is exactly what he wanted.
A celebration of his life in the form of a dinner party will be held later in January. Please take solace in knowing he is free of all suffering now and is at peace.
Cheers to Ray...
Ray attended Worcester Vocational High School. He went on to work at Johnson Steel and Wire in Worcester and then became a career Heat and Frost Insulator for over 25 years. After leaving the trade he worked for the Worcester Housing Authority for over 10 years. In recent years, he enjoyed transporting WPI students for Valet Park.
It was clear that after close to 50 years, Ray still always got a huge kick out of wife Karen every day. Equally as obvious, was his love for his extensive network of great friends. If you knew Ray, you loved him. His witty sense of humor coupled with his warm and calm demeanor made him easy to talk to. His genuine loyalty resulted in so many valuable friendships. He especially enjoyed his times at Herbie’s and spoke of his friends there with high regard. Friends will remember Ray most for his captivating stories and array of unique knowledge about so many topics. Most notably, his stories always involved a one liner that had us all laughing hysterically.
His loss will be felt by all of those whose lives he touched. In lieu of donations and/or flowers, please honor Ray by having a drink with someone you care about to celebrate his life. That is exactly what he wanted.
A celebration of his life in the form of a dinner party will be held later in January. Please take solace in knowing he is free of all suffering now and is at peace.
Cheers to Ray...