Susan Carol Gray

Susan (Susie) Johanson-Gray, 81, of Clearwater, Fl (with previous residency’s in Fridley, MN as well as Sarasota, Fl) passed away peacefully of Alzheimer’s disease on September 14th 2026 at a hospice facility in Cloquet, MN with her son Joe Bruneau and first grandchild Maggie Bruneau by her side in her final moments.

Susan (Susie) was born on August 21, 1945 and grew up in Fridley, MN with her sister Gayle Johanson-Nelson. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, nurse as well as flight attendant who built her legacy around caring for those around her.

Susie is survived by son Joe (Lisa) Bruneau & daughter Jennifer (Gordon) Bartel; step children Sarah Evers, Callie Gray, Nikki Gray-Bellware; her treasured grandchildren Maggie Bruneau, Josie & Ben Bruneau, Kiona & Sebastian Bartel; step grandchildren Mandi Gray, Elizabeth & Connor Bellware; sister Gayle Johanson-Nelson; nephews Ron (Carrie) Hanson, Jason (Nicole) Hanson, niece Chelsey Hines; great nephew/niece Devon & Lexi Hanson; and many relatives as well as friends.

Susie is proceeded in death by her mother Pat Johanson; husband Hal Gray; Son John Bruneau; and brother in law Terry Nelson.

Susie grew up in Fridley, MN with her sister Gayle. Both grew up in the church and in 1960, Susie got confirmed at Saint Philip’s Church. Throughout her life, church would remain a vital component through charity work/donations, playing the piano on the worship team, bible studies, and services. In 1965, Susie married Joe E. Bruneau and raised her kids Joe (1965), Johnny (1968), & Jenny (adopted from Vietnam in 1975) until their divorce in 1981.

Following her divorce, Susie went on to obtain her RN in 1985 where she continued her nursing career for most of her life. In addition, Susie also went on to become a flight attendant and often was a commercial flight nurse for delta airlines where she traveled all over the world and would complete nursing contracts in between flight assignments.

In 1999, Susie moved to Florida to leave the Minnesota winters and enjoy a quieter, peaceful life in the sun, sand, and sounds of the ocean. In between nursing and flight assignments, Susie enjoyed reading true crime and doing weekly book clubs with her first grandchild Maggie, spending time at the beach going for walks, shelling, fishing, tanning, and boggie boarding as well as dining Oceanside any chance she could. She also spent her days luxury shopping with her grandchildren, crafting from the shells she collected, sewing blankets and making hygiene baskets to be donated to various hospital units, oncology units, homeless shelters, domestic violence women’s shelters, prisons, and foster care centers. While in Florida, she met and married her third husband Hal Gray. Together, they continued involvement in the church, beach time, gardening, and bird watching before Hal passed away of lung complications in 2023. Shortly after, Susie was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and was relocated to a care/hospice facility in Cloquet, MN to be closer to her surviving family.

Susie will be remembered for her love for those around her, vast medical knowledge & passion for patient care as well as her free spirit and living life to the fullest. The memories made at the beach catching waves, shell hunting, life lessons taught at sunset dinners on the water at the finest restaurants, Starbucks runs, postcards from nursing/commercial flight attendant nursing, Disney, and countless shopping trips as well as the love shown to everyone around her will continue to live on through all who knew and loved her.

A celebration of life will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 1:00pm at Christ Church, 12925 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN 55124 for all who would like to attend. Light refreshments will be provided.

A private graveside burial will be held in the spring at Sunset Memorial Cemetery, Minneapolis for immediate family.