Gary Dwight Johnson

Gary D. Johnson, 89, of Charlotte, NC, formerly of Binghamton, NY, died November 2, 2026, at his home. He was preceded in death by his dear wife of 33 years, the former Alice Marie (Peggy) Smeltzer; his dear partner of 25 years, Nancy Orlinski; his mother, Olive Fleck (Johnson); and his stepfather, Boyd Fleck.

Gary is survived by his daughter, Michelle Keenan (husband, Paul) of Wilmington, DE, and his sons: Marshall Johnson of Corte Madera, CA, and Martin Johnson of St. Petersburg, FL.

He is also survived by his brother, Bill Johnson (wife, Norma) of Churchville, VA; his sister, Marcia Fleck of Roaring Spring, PA; and his sister, Maureen Detwiler (husband, Doug) of Martinsburg, PA.

His grandchildren include Michelle and Paul’s children: Kelly Trimble (husband, Chris), Shannon Fritz (husband, Nick), and JP Keenan (wife, Jenna), and Marshall’s son, Emerson; his seven great-grandchildren are Kelly and Chris’s sons: Finn, Declan, and Conor Trimble; Shannon and Nick’s children: Theodore, Amelia, and Eleanor Fritz; and JP and Jenna’s newborn son, Murray Keenan.

Gary expressed happy, fond memories of the many friends he left behind: Ken and Sue McLeod of Vestal, NY; Bill McCormick and wife Christine of Charlotte, NC; and all of his Charlotte-area friends at Assurance United Methodist Church and the Lake Norman Men’s Retirees.

Gary was born in the Depression year of 1937 in Roaring Spring, PA, and was raised by his mother, Olive Fleck (Johnson), and his maternal grandparents, Scott and Sue Johnson. He graduated from Roaring Spring High School in 1955 and was the recipient of the 1954 VFW Camp Football Award. Gary was proud to know Robert Ray, who gave his all as an early casualty of World War II in the Pacific.

Gary graduated from Penn State University in August 1959 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and was a recipient of the Altoona Mirror Harry Slep Scholarship. A USAF ROTC graduate, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the USAF upon graduation, with his fiancée, Peggy, pinning on his gold bars at the commissioning. In 1970, he received a Master’s degree in Applied Technology from SUNY Binghamton.

Gary served three years in the USAF, receiving the Air Force Commendation Medal for his work at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, where he worked on the Titan One Site Activation.

Following his Air Force service, Gary worked briefly for Westinghouse Air Arm Division in Baltimore, MD, before joining Link Simulation in Binghamton in 1965. He was proud of his work on the Lunar Module Program and the Apollo Simulation Program for astronaut training at Link.

In 1975, Gary and his family were assigned to England, where he worked for one year for the Link Miles Company as the program engineer on the Concorde Supersonic Flight Simulator Program. Returning to Binghamton Singer Link, he worked on aircraft simulator programs to train pilots to fly USAF aircraft. He became program manager for the Singer Link program to deliver a C-130 aircraft simulator to the Royal Swedish Air Force.

In 1993, upon the death of his wife, Peggy, Gary left the electronics industry and joined the financial services industry, working for Prudential Insurance Company and MassMutual Life Insurance Company. At Prudential, he met his future life partner, Nancy. While working in the insurance industry, Gary joined the Morning Knights Toastmasters Club of Binghamton, where he served as club president. He also joined the Vestal Rotary Club, serving as club president and receiving the Paul Harris Award for excellent service.

Gary completed his Triple Cities insurance work at Partners Insurance Company of Vestal, NY, in 2007. At that time, Gary and Nancy moved to Charlotte, NC, where Nancy’s daughter, Karen, and son, Scott, had moved.

In Charlotte, Gary and Nancy, Methodists for many years, joined Assurance United Methodist Church of Huntersville, NC.

A Celebration of Gary’s life will be scheduled in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2027, with the date and details to be determined.

If you would like to be included in our invite to this gathering, click on the link: https://tinyurl.com/GaryCelebrationOfLife

His remains will be cremated and interred in Vestal Hills Cemetery, NY, next to the memorial of his wife, Peggy.

In Gary’s memory, donations may be made to Feeding America at www.feedingamerica.org. In honor of the compassion that was so much a part of him, donations may also be made to any worthy program dedicated to fighting hunger in America.

Feel free to leave the family your condolences via the guestbook provided.