Lloyd Johnson

Johnson, Lloyd Peter
May 1, 1930 - October 22, 2012
Lloyd P. Johnson passed away peacefully on October 22, 2012 with family at his side. Since retirement in 1995, Lloyd had been surrounded by family and friends in Minnesota, Arizona and most recently, California. Born in Minnesota on May 1, 1930, the son of Lloyd and Edna Johnson, Lloyd was an avid sportsman. As a teenager, Lloyd canoed the Boundary Waters with friends for weeks at a time forging a lifelong love of the outdoors. Leading hunting, fishing, skiing and snowmobiling adventures with friends and family was one of his greatest joys. Lloyd was also a standout athlete. His picture on the front of a Wheaties cereal box with a baseball bat at age 10 set his path to letter in hockey, football and basketball at Carleton College. Lloyd's competitive spirit and motivational enthusiasm became the foundation of his exceptional professional career. Lloyd graduated from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota where he met his future wife Rosalind (Rosie) Gesner. He earned his MBA from Stanford University in 1952 before serving two years in the Army. Lloyd and Rosie were married thirty-nine years before her passing in 2001. He is survived by his two sisters, three children and ten grandchildren. In his forty-year career, Lloyd was ultimately recognized as one of the most influential bankers in the United States. He worked his way from a bank teller to Vice Chairman at Security Pacific Bank and then at age fifty-four became the President and CEO and later Chairman of Norwest Corporation based in Minneapolis. Over the next 11 years, Lloyd is credited for leading one of the most successful turnarounds in banking history. The fifty-seven-floor previously named Norwest Center (now "Wells Fargo Center") is admired as the crown jewel of the downtown Minneapolis skyline, and is a lasting legacy to his leadership. Lloyd also served on the board of directors for Cargill Inc., Valmont Industries and The Musicland Group. He was a Trustee of Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance Company, a member of the Advisory Board of Minnegasco and served as a member of the San Francisco Federal Reserve. In addition to professional accomplishments, Lloyd was committed to his family, his faith and to supporting the community, education and the arts. He and his wife Rosie established a Family foundation that supports organizations that serve the underserved, and he served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for The Minneapolis Institute of Art, a member of the Board of Overseers for the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Carleton College, and as a leading fundraiser for the United Way and the United Negro College. Above all, Lloyd Johnson is a man who lived a full life and blessed the lives of many. His legacy will continue to be a blessing through the lives of those who know him and who were known by him.