Robert K. Johnson

Robert K. Johnson
October 15, 1938 - June 14, 2020Robert Kyle Johnson died on June 14, 2020 in Manhattan from complications due to the Coronavirus.
Robert (Bob to friends, Bobby to family) was born October 15, 1938 in West Caldwell, New Jersey to Ruth (Kyle) and Carl Johnson of Brooklyn, NY. Bob grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, where he developed his love of sports and the outdoors. He was a passionate fisherman and hockey player and a big fan of the New York Rangers and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
After graduating from Norwalk High School, Bob attended St. Lawrence University before graduating from Lafayette College in 1960 with an AB in History. After college, Bob joined the Navy and served on the USS Forest Royal, a destroyer based in Guantanamo Bay, which served in the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade. He left the Navy in 1964 a Lieutenant j.g. and enrolled in Columbia University where he received his MBA in Finance in 1965. Bob spent the next 10 years in the securities industries first at Carl M. Loeb, Rhoades & Co. in equity research, and then at William D. Witter, Inc. in equity sales and trading.
In 1976, Bob joined the swashbuckling bunch of upstarts at Donaldson, Luftkin and Jenrette. He quickly fell into step with the DLJ mantra of relying on high quality independent corporate research and thrived. He headed up the Oil and Gas Group at DLJ until 1988 when he took over the management of the Media and Telecommunications Group (which is ironic as he never owned a TV). Bob retired as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse First Boston in 2004, having joined in 2000 when CSFB acquired Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Realizing he wasn't ready to stop working, the following year Bob joined the independent investment bank Sagent Advisors as a Managing Director where he remained until his (second and final) retirement.
Throughout his career in finance, Bob sustained his love of the great outdoors. Accompanied by his beloved hunting dog, Seamus, Bob blissfully flyfished, sailed and ambled across the planet. He was also keen on reading and chose Proust and Trollope as his constant companions. Adding to his eclectic interests Bob was also an avid collector of antiques.
When Bob found something he liked he dug in deep to that interest - that extended to a love of horses and music. If you were lucky enough to sample his cooking (he perfected red beans and rice, oatmeal, and spaghetti with a puttanesca sauce) opera was always on in the background.
Bob had a keen sense of humor and there wasn't a joke too dirty to tell or be retold by him. Everyone got a nickname - his mother became Jack, his sister Zard, his brother-in-law Ricky (not his name) and his niece Kiges. In turn, he referred to himself as Rube. His niece and nephew always referred to him as "the funny uncle" and will continue to remember the hilarious stories he told and pranks he pulled.
Throughout his life and until her death, Bobby was the most devoted son to his mother. Every single Friday he would finish work in the city, drive to Connecticut to have dinner with her, and then head to his place upstate.
Bob enjoyed both the water and land and while based in New York City he spent weekends and holidays in Millbrook, NY and Westport, MA. After retirement, he left his longtime home in NYC and split his time between Aiken, SC and Brooklin, ME. In Maine, he could be found on his sailboat and in upstate NY and South Carolina he was often spotted walking in the woods with Seamus. He was a longtime donor to the arts and various environmental causes.
Bobby was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Elizabeth (Johnson) Lewis. He will be remembered lovingly by his nephew Nicky Lewis, niece Kyle Paige, their families, and countless friends and colleagues around the world.
In lieu of flowers or donations, please do something kind for a stranger.