Rosalie Johnson Gray

Rosalie Johnson Gray, age 89, passed away December 10, 2021.  Rose was born November 15, 1932 in Stockholm, WI to Dorance and Violet Johnson.  She was a lifelong follower of Christ, and did an outstanding job passing this on to her children and grandchildren.  She was a beloved wife, sister, mother, grandmother, godmother, aunt, and friend.

She was preceded in death by her parents.  She is survived by her husband of 64 years, Ronald, of Red Wing, her sisters Lucille (Donald) Hoffman and Phyllis Komro, her children Michael (Lauri) and Peter (Kristen) Gray, and her grandchildren Josh, Lexi, Halle, John, and Henry Gray.

Rose worked as an Administrative Assistant for many years at Red Wing Public Schools and then at Holst Vogel Erdman Law Offices.  She “retired” into farming with her husband, growing a farming operation from 40 acres to well over 1700 acres. She helped out in the field driving tractor and driving the grain truck to market.  She referred to herself with pride as a farm girl.  She was in charge of forward contracts, and was known by many as the E.F. Hutton of the Red Wing Mill.

Rose loved the Whistle Stop for breakfast, coffee at Hanisch Bakery, dinner at Wiederholt’s for special family events, and she rarely passed an ice cream shop without stopping for a treat.  She loved conversation with family and friends over coffee.  She had the sweetest giggle and her whole body shook when she laughed. She had a sweet spot in her heart for almost all dogs, but loved only one cat.

She was a big sports fan - in particular, college and high school basketball, football on Sunday, March Madness, and the Notre Dame fight song.  But most of all she loved to personally attend any event that her grandchildren were involved in, from basketball, volleyball, and soccer to trap shooting, music recitals, and plays.

She loved to read, especially The Wall Street Journal.  She tracked the stock market and always had a stock tip.  She followed politics, and had a decades long, ongoing political debate with her friend Steve.  Together they showed the world that you could be on opposite sides of the political aisle and still remain lifelong friends.

She was fond of naps and ice cream and cable news, old-time Christian hymns such as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”, and the Bible.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for the spring of 2022.  In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in her name to a church of your choice, to Mayo Clinic, or treat yourself to a really good ice cream cone.