I learned from social media that my friend Peter Johnson passed away. Peter was a worldly man. He graduated from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. He served in the United States Military as a Navy Fighter Pilot. He planted himself on Martha’s Vineyard, where he grew deep roots. I first met Peter when I visited his Robert’s Rangers booth at the 2012 New England Saltwater Fishing Sow. The last time that I saw Peter was at last year’s MSBA Fishing Show. Our shared time was too short.
Many business professionals are driven by profit. Peter was driven by providing a quality fishing lure that caught fish at an affordable price. He sold and shipped Robert’s Rangers to anglers all over the world. Each time I saw Peter, he had a new fishing story and a picture of a new species that was landed on a Robert’s Ranger. I am delighted that his family and friends will continue his legacy by running the company that he transformed through relationships and grit. My surf bag always has a Robert’s Rangers.
In the middle of a bluefish blitz he [Lance Dimock] caught a stripper on a Roberts Ranger. He had never seen a striper before in his life. The fish weighed 50 lbs..
— Ron Domurat, Three Decades of the The Derby
Peter was gentleman, a scholar, a savvy business person, and a sharpie surfcaster with overflowing generosity. I am sad that he is gone. I am a better person because of our conversations on fishing, family, business, and politics. We violently agreed on three of these topics and peacefully disagreed on the other.
