Raymond 'Ray' A. Johnson, 100

Ray Johnson (Raymond A.), having lived a full and active life, passed away on the evening of Saturday Aug. 10, 2024, at the age of 100 at Hospice of North Idaho. He was a lifelong resident of Kootenai County, born May 13, 1924, in Rose Lake. His father moved the family to Coeur d’Alene in 1929, where Ray lived the rest of his life. His parents were Earl M. Johnson and Clara Johnson (maiden name also Johnson). 

Ray was raised on the family farm at Cougar Bay, an idyllic setting, with his five brothers and one sister. He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1942 and served in the Army in World War II in the storied 10th Mountain Division. He married Vickie Faulkner in 1948. Ray worked as a Journeyman carpenter and retired in 1985.

Ray was a 12-year Coeur d’Alene School District student. He walked to Sherman School in the Fort Grounds, 2.5 miles each way. The walk to junior high and high school added another mile each way. School buses were instituted the year after he graduated. As a farm kid, there were plenty of chores to be done after school, tending to cows, chickens, the fields or the woods, depending on his age.

In March of his senior year, the principal told the boys that they could take time away from school and work at Farragut Naval Training Station, then return to school for exams. He said, “you’ll never again get wages like that.” Ray worked as a laborer, 10-hour days, seven days a week for a dollar an hour, time and a half for the two hours overtime each day.

Ray was drafted into the Army in 1943 and volunteered for the well-known 10th Mountain Division, serving in G Company, 85th Regiment. He completed his service as a platoon sergeant with the rank of T/Sgt. The 10th Mountain Ski Troops trained for winter warfare, including skiing and rock climbing in the Rockies near Vail, Colo. He turned 21 in northern Italy in 1945, fighting in the Apennines, Po River Valley and Alps. Ray was awarded the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in Combat.

Ray met Vickie Faulkner in late 1946 when he asked her to join the “couples skate” at the roller rink in Coeur d’Alene. Their courtship included her making milkshakes for him at Van’s Creamery, a well-known soda fountain where she worked while in high school. They were married Feb. 28, 1948, at First Presbyterian Church in Coeur d’Alene. Throughout their married lives, Ray and Vickie loved to dance. During their square dance years, Ray became a square dance caller. 

Ray and Vickie raised four boys in Coeur d’Alene. As a father, he provided guidance by example, not criticism. He wasn’t so concerned about what the boys did; he cared about how they behaved. To provide a place for the kids to play and for him to relax, they purchased a lakefront property in 1958 at Stevens Point on Lake Coeur d’Alene because they “just wanted a place to go.” It was maintained as a rustic place, a place to not work. They held the property until 2021. Ray and Vickie celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary in 2022.

Ray worked his professional life in carpentry. He was an apprentice on the construction of the Hanford Nuclear facility in 1947-48, then moved back to Coeur d’Alene. He achieved his Journeyman’s Certificate in the Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners in Local 1691 of Coeur d’Alene in 1951 and later served two terms as president of the Local in the early ‘50s. Highly regarded as a skilled craftsman, he was well-known in the local construction industry. Over his life, he built and remodeled five homes for his family in Coeur d’Alene. Ray retired from carpentry in 1985. 

Ray was among the founders of the Carpentry and Construction Technology program at North Idaho College. Looking for projects to build, the founders arranged for the students to build a house on skids and auction it off. What started as a project to find something to build has now become The Really BIG Raffle, the NIC Foundation’s largest annual public fundraiser. 

Among many other acts of community service, Ray and Vickie volunteered over a period of 30 years with the Coeur d’Alene Homes Auxiliary Trading Post, a fundraising activity to benefit Coeur d’Alene Homes. 

Ray was recognized on this 100th birthday for 82 years membership in Coeur d’Alene Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 486. He had joined in 1942 needing a place to shower while working on the wartime build out of the Farragut Naval Training Station at Lake Pend Oreille.

Ray is predeceased by his wife, Vickie, his parents and five siblings. He is survived by his four sons: Steve, Craig (Marissa), Jeff (Debbie) and Tim (Donna); two first cousins; 10 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.

With a welcoming smile, Ray made friendships easy and maintained them steadily. He treated everyone with respect and despised bullies. Strangers soon adopted him as their father.

To say he was a good man does not reflect the depth of his character. He was loved and respected for his uncommon integrity, honesty, loyalty, humor and duty to family, friends and community, and contributed immeasurable goodness to those around him. His character was of a strength that binds families and maintains the decency of society. He lived a great life, and we are blessed to have had great lives because of him. 

A funeral service will be held at Yates Funeral Home, 744 N. Fourth St. in Coeur d’Alene at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. The service is open to all who knew and loved him and will be followed by a reception across the street at the Atrium of Trinity Lutheran Church.

A committal with full military honors will take place at Riverview Cemetery at 3:30 p.m. following the funeral service.

Well-wishers may support his memory with contributions to the Ray and Vickie Johnson Scholarship at North Idaho College.

Please visit Ray’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.