BFFs . . . Best Friends Forever!

Kelli and Chauncy have always been together.  Their journey began when they were eight years old.  They attended grade school, junior high, and high school together.  They went their separate ways for a few short years after high school.  Kelli attended college while Chauncy served his mission in Peru.  They were married August 3, 2001.  Kelli always knew that they would be together forever and they both find great strength in their solid relationship.

Once married, they moved to Logan, Utah, where they both worked diligently to obtain their bachelor's degrees from Utah State University.  They enjoyed their experience there and made many life-long friends during that time. 

Their daughter, Elise, was born in Logan on June 3, 2005.  Soon after Elise was born, Chauncy and Kelli’s little family moved to Texas for work and lived there for a short time before returning to Wyoming in order for Chauncy to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Wyoming.  While living in Laramie, their second daughter, Kamilla, was born.  Chauncy, Kelli, and Elise made many friends in Laramie and are fond of the two years they had the opportunity to be there.

In May 2008, Chauncy graduated with his master’s degree and the family relocated to Casper, Wyoming, for work.  They have made Casper their home and continue to make new friends along every step of their journey.  Chauncy and Kelli’s family grew by one when Logan Chauncy was born on August 13, 2010.  He is a beautiful and resilient little man whom you just can’t help but love.  Elise and Milli are the greatest big sisters ever and they sure do love their little brother.

The Johnson Family always spends time together doing the things that they love.  Being outdoors is special for them and they enjoy riding bikes,swimming, being in the mountains, fishing, and skiing.  Christmas Eve, 2010, was no different.

It was with great anticipation of an exciting Christmas holiday together with family and friends that Chauncy and Kelli and the kids loaded up their skis and snowboards and headed to the mountain on Christmas Eve morning.  Looking forward to a long weekend together and a special visit from Santa Claus, they were happy and enjoying life as they headed to the ski slope.  Unfortunately, a tragic accident occurred that day.

Kelli and Elise were practicing ski skills on the mountain that day.  They were stopped near the bottom of the ski run fixing Elise's skis when a snowboarder collided into them.  Kelli was life-flighted to a nearby hospital with multiple injuries including a fractured neck, brain injuries, bruised lungs, and multiple facial traumas.  Our beautiful Elise passed away that unforgetable Christmas Eve.

Elise brought joy and happiness to everyone around her.  She was a beautiful, strong, and active baby who grew into an amazing and vibrant little girl.  Elise was full of sunshine, love, and happiness and spread smiles and hugs wherever she went.  She loved music and could often be found singing and dancing to her favorite songs.  She was always quick to express her love to all those around her through her precious smiles, laughter, hugs, and kisses.  A lovely and special spirit radiated from her.

Elise loved to play soccer, bounce around the house, jump on the trampoline, swim, and ski.  She especially loved to play with her little sister, Milli.  She was incredibly athletic for her age and was always busy doing something to keep herself healthy and strong.

Kelli is an amazing woman full of love, faith, and determination.  She inspires everyone wherever she goes and is the epitome of compassion and kindness.  She is an avid skier, snowboarder, and marathoner and she finds great joy in being outdoors.  Her family is the most important thing to her and she is a phenomenal wife and mother.

This unexpected and unforeseen journey that the Johnsons have recently embarked on is an eye-opening one to everyone.  Kelli has a long road of recovery ahead of her but we are fully confident that she will recover and continue to be the beautiful and inspiring woman that we all love and admire.

Chauncy and Kelli are, without a doubt, BFFs!  Their journey is one of love, faith, endurance, perseverance, hope, and healing.  Please join The Johnson Journey and stay connected as we travel along this new experience in life.