Raymond Craig Johnson

Raymond Craig Johnson (Craig to most who knew him) passed away at the age of 78 on April 6th, of 2023 in Savannah, Georgia, in the company of his two sons, Michael and Ryan.

He was born on January 3rd, 1945 in the Town of Mineola on Long Island, New York, as the middle of three sons (Bruce Johnson (deceased) and Steven Johnson) to Grace Lynde and Raymond Johnson. He lived most of his young life in Buffalo, New York. As a high school basketball star, he earned a scholarship to play basketball for Kent State University.

Craig spent his adulthood in the Akron/Cleveland area of Ohio and graduated from Kent State University. He began his career teaching art to high school students. He took a job in the advertising industry, which naturally allowed him to combine his love for art and his self-declared “Gift of Gab.” A serial entrepreneur in the advertising business, Craig helped many people grow their own businesses through his incredible passion to promote others. Working creatively alongside many close friends and business partners, he was always known as the “Idea Man”.

Craig moved to Savannah, Georgia in 2008, where he launched his second act, developing a variety of services and projects centered around tourism in the Savannah area, that he loved so much. A lifelong travel enthusiast, he had a deep love for exploring new places and meeting new people. He had an enormous love for art and loved to paint and sketch on his travels. Always the life of the party, he imbued a love for the music of Jimmy Buffett and the magic of a great cocktail in a friendly bar.

A kid at heart himself, he loved being “Papa” in his later years, and never missed the chance to take his grandkids on an “Adventure” wherever the wind might take them that day. The list of people he knew is staggering, leaving an indelible mark on everyone he met. Most people knew him as a friend, and he spent much of his life exploring new places and building new connections at every stop. A consummate social butterfly, his rolodex (yes rolodex) was always full of the people and places important to him. He lived life on his own terms, with no apologies.

Craig’s mark upon this world will be left not only on his friends, but in his two married sons Michael (Reshma Shah) and Ryan (Marisa Cook) and his five grandchildren (Raiyan, Dylan, Kieran, Lily, and Cameron). They continue to see life as a celebration and carry his joyful and loving spirit into the future.

Services will be held graveside at Greenwich Cemetery at 2:00 on Tuesday April 11th, 2023 in Savannah, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers please share a memory of Craig to his Facebook page so that we all may remember his endless stories and friends. Together we can create his eternal happy hour.