Edward Douglas Johnson, Jr.

Doug Johnson, founder of energy investment bank Johnson Rice & Company, husband of 56 years to Susan, father and grandfather, died Wednesday, August 7, 2024, after a six-year struggle with Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma and Parkinsons. He was 81.

Doug has four dominant life passions: his family, his work, his friends and the Texas Longhorns.

Doug was an honest, wise, effective businessman who was unafraid to take on significant risk. He worked as an institutional stockbroker at Howard Weil for 20 years. In 1987, Doug left to form his own institutional sales and research firm, Johnson Rice. Today Johnson Rice is the longest standing independent energy brokerage and investment bank in the United States. Doug loved the group there, and the work itself, and went to work until several months ago.

Doug was a guy’s guy. One of those rare men, beloved from the office to the duck blind. He was still cracking jokes on his Point Clear wharf a month ago, wind in the hair he had left, sea breeze coming in, rocking chair going, Willie Nelson playing, Heineken in hand. In Point Clear, where he went every year since his honeymoon, he could also be found at Lakewood with his golfing buddies accepting the “spicy meatball” wager, while a drive was in the air. He had many nicknames: Dougie, Champ, Mr. J., EDJ, El Jefe.

Doug was a “girl dad” and he and Susan had three daughters: Courtney, Leslie and Kelley, all Sacred Heart and Vanderbilt University graduates. Doug acquired three “SILS” or sons-in-law and had eight grandchildren. He was sustained by his powerful love for his family and their powerful love for him.

Doug’s love for both family and the Texas Longhorns crossed together in a motto from the Texas Cowboys, an elite honorary student service organization which he was so proud to be a part of: “Give the best you have to Texas and the best will come back to you.” Doug graduated from The University of Texas at Austin in 1964 and all four of his grandsons have graduated from UT or are there now.

Doug was a lifelong Longhorn often seen in Burnt Orange, even in his hospital room, reveling in his relationship with the Longhorn Nation and more recently pulling for their new standard bearer from New Orleans.

Doug believed in giving back, was unfailingly generous, and supported countless meaningful community causes. He had a love for all things sports, perhaps from his father, who was a halfback for Tulane University. His father died at 52 and thereafter Doug helped raise his younger sister. His mother, Belle, taught at St. Martin’s Episcopal School and Doug graduated from there in 1960. He often said how important those years were, and it led him to create the Belle Johnson Scholars at St. Martin’s in 2000, now numbering over 90 recipients.

His friends were lifelong. Doug and Susan have had “Tuesday Night Dinner” for 30+ years with the same three families. They traveled often with their golfing group, who called themselves the “Mullets.” For 20 years he took the 16 member Johnson Family on far-flung adventures, fostering relationship webs across family generations. It built on the individual trip each grandchild got to choose to take with SueSue and Dougie at age 12.

Doug is predeceased by his mother, Isabel Lipscomb Johnson, and his father, Edward Douglas Johnson. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Susan Read Johnson, three daughters; Courtney (Ted), Leslie (Chris) and Kelley (Tom); and eight grandchildren: Douglas, Price and Susan Le Clercq; Olivia and Eleanor McClanahan; Caroline, Thomas and Price Daniel. He is also survived by his sister, Glenn Brady (Dennis).

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to Doug’s dedicated doctors – Brooks Emory, Andy Dalovisio and David Houghton – and to the Palliative Care Unit at Ochsner Hospital.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the memorial Mass in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, on Tuesday, August 13, 2024 at 12:00PM. A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 10:00AM. The interment in Metairie Cemetery will be private and at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Doug’s memory to St. Martin’s Episcopal School, www.stmsaints.com, or the Blank Center for Stuttering at the University of Texas, www.blankcenterforstuttering.org.

To view and sign the online guest book, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.com