Melinda Sue Johnson

In the early hours of Friday November 25th, 2022, we said goodbye to our Mom, Melinda Sue (Ray) Johnson. She faced major health obstacles that tried to bring her down these last few years. But, she was a Ray and they do not go down easy. After an honorable battle, she passed away from an infection that her body could no longer hold off. Mindy never gave up fighting, but peacefully departed us while surrounded by her loved ones. Melinda “Mindy” Johnson was born on October 3, 1958, in Wichita, Kansas to an excited David Delmar Ray and Mary Anna Hunewell Ray. Our Grandparents were eager to get married (promptly after Mary’s 19th birthday) and wanted to immediately start their own family. Mindy was the eldest of her three surviving siblings: Kirk Ray, Angi Aschenbrenner (Ray), and David “Davie” Ray Jr. She confidently leaves behind her children, Ricardo Antonio Duran, Jamie Ray Johnson, and Betsy Michelle Johnson, knowing they are all capable of anything. She is forever proud of her gaggle of grandchildren: Xuvier Duran, Bailey Ann Duran, Michael Duran, Zane Duran, Brantley Evans, Lane Bogan, Cash Conner, Maverick Bogan and soon-to-be Liberty Bogan. What brought her the MOST joy, were her children and grandchildren. We will cherish the memories of our Mom. Like when she secretly fed Xuvier (her Honey-Boy) Oreo's in the pantry after Rick, his dad, told him no. She will miss the weekly study nights she had with Bailey Ann (her Bebe-Lovins') who is working hard to be the first person in our family to earn a college degree on December 9th, 2022. She loved helping Betsy raise Brantley and was so proud of all her grandkids. She was so excited for Jamie’s upcoming wedding in April of 2023 and we will be partying extra hard in honor of her. Mindy was the definition of fun-loving; she was the life of the party. She had the brightest smile that could light up any room; her kids proudly thank her for passing that on because it is the best party trick and greatest reminder of her.. She had a keen sense of humor and loved a good time. Some of her fondest memories were shared with life-long friends Lori Anderson, Leslie “Sis” Procter, and Gwen Salmon. She always knew the latest buzz from the grapevine and was the person you wanted in your corner. She appreciated Judge Judy, The Real Housewives, Bad Girls Club, and The Real World to name a few of her favorite shows. She loved her pets, especially her Vietnamese potbellied pig, Wubbas, and her chihuahua, Bella. Our mom was accomplished and wickedly smart. After graduating (Class of 1976) from South High School in Wichita, KS, she pursued a degree in Engineering Management. In 1979, she jumped into the corporate world working for Southwestern Bell as their in-house Senior Engineer. Realizing her potential and the need in a developing telecommunications industry, she started her own contract engineering company, 'Ray Engineering', with our Grandma helping her with bookkeeping. She did all of this while raising Ricky whom she had at the ripe age of 18 in 1976. She continued to work and raise Ricky in Wichita, gaining more knowledge and having fun along the way, until she met Patrick Michael Johnson (PJ) in the early 1980's. This is when Mindy’s life started to feel like a fairytale; Mindy and PJ (Jamie and Betsy's Dad) fell deeply in love and dove right into their future lives together. PJ’s work moved them to Dallas. So, they packed up Ricky, headed to Texas and got married at the Justice of the Peace on January 17, 1986, in Denton. Soon after, Jamie was born on April 27, 1987, and Betsy on May 30, 1989. Mindy loved her newly settled life in TX and loved being the suburban homemaker. She was the girls' Girl Scout Troop leader and hosted lively parties on Warwick Avenue of the Lake Forest Subdivision in Flower Mound. This is where she helped cultivate relationships with people who continue to be in the kids' life to this day. Mindy lost her great love, Patrick Michael Johnson, to his battle with Cancer in 1995. Mindy continued to power through, rebuilding her career in the telecom industry where she met her lifelong friend Gwen. Gwen has been such a light throughout our lives and will continue to be as if Mom was still here. Mindy also loved to cook. In 2001, she briefly owned her own catering business that was appropriately named, ‘Kitchen Diva Catering’. Her love of food, cooking, and enjoying delicious meals with her family and friends continued throughout her life. In her later years, she would do extensive research on each upcoming menu and was almost more excited about the lead up to a great meal than the meal itself. Mindy took after her Mom, Mary, in her artistic abilities; she was naturally talented in painting (which we brilliantly experienced at a Painting with a Twist class that Jamie, Bailey, Rick & Mindy attended in July). She loved to create and craft which is what her kids strived to schedule with her on a weekly basis in this last year. She had a fabulous sense of style and taste. She loved to shop, so it was only fitting that she left us on a Black Friday. We have great memories of camping outside of stores or storming into a Target at 2am to grab one of the four Furby's they had stocked during the 90's Furby craze. She was heavily inundated with the Beanie Baby obsession due to Jamie & Betsy's incessant need to collect the rarest and most desired. Her love for the Dallas Cowboys will never fade from her years of having season tickets and hosting family & friends at games. She supported us in whatever we loved and wanted to do. We can honestly say that her greatest wish was for our happiness and wellbeing. We can happily say we are all on the right track to bring honor to We will be holding a Celebration of Life for Mindy at Gwen Salmon’s home on December 11th, 2022 at 1pm. All are welcome. Location:45 Reason Jones Rd. Valley View, TX 76272 Please make donations to the following Go Fund Me account: https://gofund.me/5f3abe1f

Melinda Sue Johnson

October 3, 1958 - November 25, 2022