Merle Ray Johnson

Merle Ray Johnson, 75 of Howland Township, died Monday morning, September 22, 2014, at St. Joseph Health Center. He was born June 21, 1939 in Hartford, the son of the late Merle Ivan and Lola Garringer Johnson. Ray was a 1957 graduate of Cortland High School. He then served from 1959-1961 as a private first class in the U.S. Army. He retired in 1994 from the G.E. Ohio Lamp plant in Warren, where he worked in the maintenance department for 37 years. Ray was a member of the Cortland First Church of God. He was an active member of the Cortland Moose Lodge No. 1012, a member of the Vienna Fish and Game Club and the Silver Dollar Golf and Trap Club in Odessa, Fla. Ray was an avid trap shooter and enjoyed hunting and league bowling. He enjoyed hunting black bears in Wawa, Ontario, Canada. His wife of nearly 52 years, Alice Jane Kennedy Johnson, whom he married July 7, 1962 preceded him in death January 27, 2014. Three sisters, Mae Richmond, Twila Means and Mary Mackey also have all preceded in death. Ray is survived by one son, Michael I. (Deborah S.) Johnson of Brookfield; one daughter, Robin L. (Roy V. "R.V." Ramage II) Johnson of Columbus; one granddaughter, Melissa S. Huber of Cleveland and one sister, Ruth A. Bacon of Citrus Springs, Fla. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the Cortland First Church of God. Burial will be at Hillcrest Cemetery in Hermitage, Pa. Arrangements were entrusted to Lane Family Funeral Homes, Shafer-Winans Chapel in Cortland. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the memorial fund at the Cortland First Church of God, 541 South High St., Cortland, OH 44410. Online condolences may be made to the family and the obituary viewed at www.shaferwinanschapel.com