Robert Johnson

Robert (Bob) Johnson
1938-2024
Robert (Bob) Johnson passed away peacefully at home, on July 6th, from consequences related to leukemia. He was born March 1, 1938 in Rochester, NY to Grace and Jasper Johnson, and grew up with his three brothers and two sisters.
The family moved to Needham, MA when he was twelve years old, where he attended the public schools and was Captain of the high school football and basketball teams, and President of his class. He attended Williams College, playing football, and later transferred to the University of Michigan, where he graduated with a degree in Economics.
Growing up, Bob's family summered on Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, where he met the love of his life, Barbie Grad, daughter of Gladys and Linden Grad of Meredith, NH. It was there that Bob captured Barbie's attention as a member of the water ski team. They were married for 60 years, and have resided in Darien, CT, for 45 of those years, raising their two children and participating in the community in myriad ways.
After college, Bob enrolled in Officer's Candidate School, joining the US Marine Corps in 1961. Upon being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he entered the flight training program and became a Naval Aviator, stationed in Southern California. He served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot and accomplished over 300 missions there. After completion of his active military duties, he joined The Reserves, where he continued to fly helicopters and relished the camaraderie of his fellow officers. At this time, he was hired by TWA, with whom he flew 727's to 747's for over thirty years. As an airline Captain, he flew all over the world, mostly international flights out of JFK. Sharing travel with his family was among his greatest joys, and Bob loved more than anything to take his family to see the many beautiful and cultural sites throughout Europe.
After retiring from TWA, Bob found great happiness in his two passions of boating and oil painting. From Captain in the air to Captain at sea, he excelled at navigating the waters of Long Island Sound in his boat, Bellwether, where many happy memories with family were created. It was his rekindled love of painting, however, that really animated his later years. He joined the Silvermine Guild, where he honed his skills, and participated in many local art exhibitions. His home studio produced numerous landscape paintings that are treasured by friends and family.
A true gentleman, Bob will be remembered for his unflagging integrity, his kind smile, and devotion to family.
He is survived by his wife, Barbara; his siblings, Christel, Peter and Don, daughter, Amy and her husband Devin, and his two beloved granddaughters, Avery and Ingrid. He was preceded in death by his son, Eric Robert Johnson.
There will be no service, and burial will be in New Hampshire at a later date.