James “Jim” P. Johnson, 85, a Chicago banker who helped companies like Frito-Lay and Texas Instruments get their start, died Sunday, Jan. 28, in the Westminster Presbyterian Home in Evanston after suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Born in Waupaca, Wis., Mr. Johnson was the youngest of seven children. His mother raised her brood alone after Mr. Johnson’s father died when he was 8. Mr. Johnson attended Waupaca High School and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. He put himself through college with a job shoveling coal and a received a partial scholarship that allowed him to be tutored by the president of the university. He met his wife, Ruth “Cookie” Cook Johnson, in Chicago and the two married in 1942. During World War II, Mr. Johnson served as lieutenant commander on the USS Marblehead. A competitive golfer, Mr. Johnson took his clubs with him on the ship. After the war, Mr. Johnson lived in Evanston and taught naval operations at Northwestern University before taking a position with Continental Bank. During his 41-year career at the institution, he served as vice president of correspondent and commercial banking west of the Mississippi. Mr. Johnson helped secure financing for Boeing when it wanted to build its first 747, and he made loans to fledgling companies that became Frito-Lay and Texas Instruments. “You could go in just about any major bank in the western U.S. in the 1960s and they would know my dad,” said his son, J. Peter Johnson. “He had a gift for remembering people’s names and making them feel special.” An elder and deacon at First Presbyterian Church in Evanston, Mr. Johnson enjoyed singing in the choir and lent his baritone voice to the choir even when sitting in the pews, his son said. Mr. Johnson retired in 1978, volunteering at local hospitals. He and his wife wintered in Florida in recent years, where Mr. Johnson helped finance several real estate developments. Other survivors include a daughter, Shelley Holt; a sister, Katherine Buttles; and three grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Friday in the Westminster Presbyterian Home, 3131 Simpson St., Evanston.
