Robert J. Narkis

1934 - 2025

Robert J. Narkis
"Former Partner of Gager, Henry & Narkis Law Firm & CEO of Centerbank"
MIDDLEBURY
Robert J. Narkis
"Former Partner of Gager, Henry & Narkis Law Firm and CEO of Centerbank"
As I sit to write a brief recap of a man whose life simply cannot be described in brief, I am reminded of one of his favorite sayings, "My house, my rules". I will attempt to do him justice in my way. His eulogy, my rules?
Robert (Bob) Joseph Narkis, 91, of Middlebury, Connecticut, moved through the veil on Sunday, October 5, 2025, surrounded by his loving family and his very patient, longtime caregivers. He left us exactly one month to the day after his always stylish and strikingly beautiful wife, Joann (Georgetson) Narkis.
Bob leaves behind raconteurs of his unique and remarkable journey, his children: Sally G. Narkis of Westfield, NJ, Kim Canavan of Brooklyn, NY, John Kachulis of Stamford, CT, and Dean C. Kachulis of Waterbury, CT, as well as his grandchildren, Dimitri Robert Potamousis, Nicholas Canavan and Zoe Canavan. In addition, he is survived by siblings, Donald Narkis, his wife, Lucille, and their children, and Cynthia Sobozenski, her husband, Ted, and their children, all with their own tales to tell.
Bob was born in Nashua, NH, on May 23, 1934, a son of the late Joseph Narkis and Stephanie (Kamenecky) Narkis. "Nahky" as his brother, Don, called him, was not destined for the serene New Hampshire life, although he did return often to his happy place on Lake Wentworth in Wolfeboro, NH. The loons, Norman, the loons.
After graduating from UNH and completing subsequent military service, "Bawb" as his children called him, headed off to Yale Law School, graduating in the class of 1961. To clarify, he was not previously accepted into Yale Law School. In true-to-form RJN style, he went to the admissions office and charmed his way in. Side note: Yale had closed their admissions long before Bob showed up in the admissions office. Additional side note: His classmates (and the young ladies of Yale) initially thought he was Robert Niarchos from the famous Greek shipping family; he neither confirmed nor denied.
While at Yale, he caught a glimpse of someone he would later tell me was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, sitting with her friends at a New Haven eatery. He told me she was wearing a scarlet red coat and had captivating ocean blue eyes. Bob told his friends he was going to marry that girl one day. He did indeed. That girl was the late Mary Ellen Morris, my movie-star beautiful mother.
He then set his sights on Middlebury, CT, and the prestigious law firm Gager and Henry. Legend has it that he joined the firm after meeting with Don Henry and his wife, Jeanie. He remarked that it was Mrs. Henry who took a liking to him-as they say: happy wife, happy life. Fast forward to a partnership at the esteemed Gager, Henry and Narkis Law Firm in Waterbury, CT. After many years at the firm, he made a later-in-life career change to serve as the CEO of Centerbank until his retirement.
When it came to his life and career, Bob lived with lock stock and barrel personal integrity. He never left a debt unpaid, drove a fancy new car (because new cars lose value the minute they leave the lot!), or took an extravagant bonus, because, in his words: that money belonged to the shareholders and that was his job.
From big picture to the little things, Bob was a straight shooter. I remember when the bank had him install what was then a very rare and exciting gadget known as a "car phone". I begged and pleaded to call a friend from the car and was told in no uncertain terms that it was not to be used for any personal calls because the bank was paying for the phone. There were tears on my end. He was not moved. I never got to use that phone, and it haunts me to this day.
As hard as he worked is as hard as he played. Bob was a mixologist before that was a thing and was famous for his Cajun Martinis. He never said no to a great party and always held a crowd with his sharp wit and physical humor. Bob was not self-conscious when it came to a good time. The man loved a costume! Over the course of said parties, his best friends, Cathy and George Frantzis, introduced him to the other most beautiful woman he had ever seen, Joann. They were married for almost 50 years.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the true loves of his life, Bob's antiques. By antiques I mean actual antiques and then a bunch of other things that one day will "be worth something." Flea markets were his spirit animal. If you asked him why the heck he bought something post flea market, the answer was always "I have a small collection of (whatever object he was holding)." He is survived by a small collection of 1,000 Bagger Vance golf clubs, a small collection of 375+ likely radioactive uranium glass peanut jars, a small collection of creepy early 18th century paintings that follow you with their eyes, a small collection of terrifying Halloween masks still lurking in the basement, and additional small collections of anything and everything. Don't get me started.
Right about now my Dad would be telling me that I've used too many words and should just get to the bottom line.
Bottom line:
Please join us for a cocktail and a bite to eat at The Highfield Club, 256 White Deer Rock Rd., in Middlebury, CT, on Saturday, October 18, from noon – 3:00pm.
To honor his deep love for all (and we mean ALL) films on TCM, at 1:00, we will be showing a short film "The Narkises," chock full of Bob and friends cameos. Sadly, the cameos do not include Cyd Charisse because, as he would tell anyone who would listen, she had the best legs. Much like the man himself, the film is in Technicolor.
Prior to the celebration of his life at Highfield, there will be a calling hour 10:00 – 11:00 a.m at Chase Parkway Memorial, The Albini Family Funeral Home, 430 Chase Parkway, Waterbury.
Like his favorite crooner, Bob would tell you that he most certainly did it his way.
Let's make a toast to and celebrate the life of Bob, who often noted that his name spelled backwards was still.…
Dad, I love you and you will be missed.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, supporting.afsp.org .