Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson, age 72, of Laurel, N.Y., died at home on February 2, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Feeney; their son, Benjamin Johnson; future daughter-in-law, Holland Koehler; his brother, Bruce Johnson; and sister, Beverly Johnson Bender.

Like all the best people, Bob was funny, generous and humble. He maintained a curiosity about the human condition, which he honed into a guiding philosophy of a happy life that was informed by his lived experience and bolstered by music, literature, history and, most of all, family. Prone to quoting Springsteen and Dylan, Bob believed a happy life was based on a job that challenges and sustains you, a life partner that will remind you of who you are when you forget, and a sense of humor.

It is rare for someone with such a critical mind to relate to people so well, but Bob did. He absolutely loved to be with friends, family, students and neighbors. Thoughts and words were not a means to an end, and he lived with a spirit of generosity of time and humor.

Bob’s engagement, interest in others, and elegant philosophical statements always resonated and planted seeds of ideas to come in those around him. Swimming in the Peconic Bay on a bright summer afternoon, he would say: “This is the life!” And if you or I were with him right then, we would smile and agree that Bob was right.

The family received visitors Feb. 5 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck.

This is a paid notice.