SOLDOTNA, Alaska — Deacon James “Jim” Ray Johnson, who formerly served at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, died March 10, 2020, surrounded by his family.
Deacon Johnson and his wife Judith moved to Morganton in the early 1980s from Tennessee. He was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte on June 27, 1987, at St. Charles Borromeo Church, where he served the next 29 years.
His ministry focused not just on parish life, but on prison ministry at the Western Youth Institute. He served as the first diocesan coordinator for Prison Ministry and also served as the chaplain for Catholic Scouting in the Charlotte diocese.
He retired from ministry in 2011, and in 2016 he and his wife moved to Alaska to be closer to family.
— Catholic News Herald