Bruce E. Johnson, 17, sopn of Mr. and Mrs. Richard F. Johnson of 4105 Everett St., Kensington, drowned Monday, May 29, 1972, while swimming with friends in the Severn River in Anne Arundel County.

The youths were on an inflated raft from a boat anchored in the river near Herald Harbor and off St. Helena Island, when Bruce lost his grip and disappeared in the water.  

A native of Kensington, Bruce was a senior at Walter Johnson High School, where he sang in the Madrigals and Concert Chorus.

A former Boy Scout in troop 439, he played lead guitar in the rock group, "Fury," and worked after school and during the summers at North Star Motors in Rockville.

Besides his parents, he is survived by his grandmother, Alice C. Johnson, of the home.