This is a difficult year to feel thankful at the Johnson house. On March 5, we lost our beautiful, adventurous son Ryan in a climbing accident. As we try to avoid traveling down the path of grief today, we remember the love and support we received from this community last spring and throughout the long frustrating process of searching for him. We do have much to be grateful for. We especially wish to offer our long over-due public recognition of the dedicated volunteers at Juneau Mountain Rescue (JMR).
JMR volunteers put their lives and jobs on hold for a solid week to work day and night searching for and planning for a way to find our son Ryan and his climbing partner Marc-André Leclerc. We had no idea how complex these efforts can be and how much goes on behind the scenes. Long after the original search effort ended in March, there were so many more volunteer hours throughout the summer watching for conditions that would permit a ground search. Many of the searchers knew Ryan well but they are so well trained and so professional in every way they were able to separate their friendship from their work to an amazing degree. For their ability to manage that extra degree of difficulty this search effort created for them, we will be forever grateful.
We also wish to thank Coastal Helicopters and all the personnel at the Alaska State Troopers, The National Guard and the Coast Guard who contributed to the search effort. Juneau is so fortunate to have all these dedicated professionals right here in our community when we need them.
Juneau Mountain Rescue is a nonprofit organization, please think of them in this season of gratitude and giving. Donations can be made on their website: https://www.juneaumountain rescue.org/.
Thank you, Juneau, for your unconditional support.
Steve and Ruth Johnson
