Raymond J. "Ray" Johns

Ray Johns, 90, of Missoula, passed away on March 30, 2016, of natural causes. He was born in Bonner, MT to a large Lebanese family and was the youngest of 15 children. At a young age, his family moved and joined a growing community of Lebanese Americans in Butte. This is where his legacy began.
Members of the family, including Ray, returned to Missoula and established a life here. His first job was delivering groceries for the Missoula Mercantile. He and his cousins bought a dump truck business, which started his lifelong passion as a heavy equipment operator. His work took him many places, including a drug store soda fountain in Thompson Falls, where he met his future wife, Pat Risbon. They were married October 24, 1953, at St. Anthony's Church in Missoula. Together they had three children and shared 62 years of marriage. They were active in the Missoula Catholic community, and helped build Holy Family Parish.

Ray was an active member of the Operating Engineers and retired in 1990 from SK Construction. He then moved on to his "hobby" of heavy equipment operation for special projects at the request of local contractors LS Jensen, Pumco, and Twite Construction. At the age of 87, he finally turned in his keys to the machines he so enjoyed.
When he wasn't pushing dirt, the motorhome was making its way to Rock Creek, where he had been camping his entire life. Many hours were spent behind a fishing rod at the "secret" family fishing holes and many trees were felled for campfires. He loved his time at Rock Creek. He loved his grandchildren dearly and was a known fixture at all their events. Everyone knew Grandpa Ray. He loved his garage and workshop and all people who came to glean his knowledge and look for spare parts in his stash. He loved Griz football and basketball, and was a season ticket holder since 1974.

Ray was the last surviving member of his immediate family. He is survived by his wife Pat, children Michelle (Tim) Wackler, Lisa (Mike) Dickson and Neil (Teri) Johns, all of the Missoula area. He has 12 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and countless family members.

Ray's funeral mass will be held at 11:00 am, Wednesday, April 6 at St. Anthony's Church, with a reception following at the church hall. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Watson Children's Shelter, which was established by his niece Janice Watson.
Garden City Funeral Home is assisting the family.





Read Raymond Johns's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.