Parke M. Johnson

Parke Patton Miller Johnson, a vibrant, giving and wonderful woman—full of natural grace—passed away peacefully on Monday September 15, surrounded by her loving family, including her husband Craig, daughter Caitlin, and son Chase. The longtime New Canaan and Madison resident was 69.

Parke was born on September 29, 1955, in Albany NY, and was raised in upstate Claverack, NY, an old Dutch community, the daughter of the late Lucy Cary Easley Miller and the late Allen C. Miller, a realtor and gentleman farmer raising Christmas trees. Parke’s lifelong passion for growing everything from flowers to fruits in the Hudson River Valley shaped her entire life, whether in her earlier school years in Claverack or in her decades of working on Wall Street. She would sneak out early on growing season Fridays to reconnect with her Hudson River crowd for the weekend.

Parke stayed in upstate New York for college at Skidmore in Saratoga Springs, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Fine Arts, a degree that gave her a left brain/right brain combination of skills and empathy. This would serve her well both on Wall Street and her adult life—especially after she married Craig and became a “Bonus Mom” to Caitlin and Chase.

Parke enjoyed a wonderful time at Skidmore, forming lifetime friendships with a loving group of women who stayed close ever since. Her circle of friends widened over the years, blending in Craig’s friends. In fact, when Parke and Craig got married in Claverack in 1998, half of the attendees on Parke’s side of the aisle already knew half of the guests on Craig’s side. Truly, two degrees of separation.

At Skidmore, walking back from the Arts studio, Parke could be found in paint-smeared clothes with clay or paint under her fingernails. In the evening, Parke and her friend Carol Befanis O’Donnell operated a late-night food delivery service known as “The Grinder Girls,” selling sandwiches and cookies on each dormitory floor.

After graduation, she enrolled at Katie Gibbs, and soon joined Smith Barney to start her 25 years at Citigroup, initially in investor relations, then investment banking and financial marketing. As Citi absorbed (or sold) multiple companies, Parke remained in place, and would joke that she would maintain the same desk and office even as the company changed around her. Something else also changed around Parke in her Citi days: 9-11.

Parke was then working at Seven World Trade, near the twin towers. She had married Craig a few years earlier, and commuted from New Canaan. That Tuesday, feeling unwell, she decided to work from home, a remarkable coincidence, but it helped save her life during that terrible time—and was another example of her resilience.

Parke and Craig’s marriage was the tale of a much happier coincidence, born of Parke’s Skidmore and Craig’s Yale friends. It was a classic fix-up: the couple had a coffee date, which extended into the afternoon and then dinner, and Craig took the train back to New Canaan. Returning to her apartment, Parke woke her Mom, who was staying over, telling her she had “just met the man she was going to marry.” Lucy’s reply: “Parkie, can we please talk about this in the morning?”

Parke and her lady friends began planning her wedding within weeks; Craig was informed on a need-to-know basis. Craig pondered ways to get his kids and Parke to know (and love) each other—a challenge fraught with risk. In mid-1997 our great friends Gwynne and Doug Campbell helped ease the way by often having everyone over for dinner at their place.

It all came together on the day of the Women’s U.S. Open semi-finals, when Craig and Parke were on the 7 train to Forest Hills. As the train slowed, Craig saw the next stop was 46th and Bliss: he knelt down and proposed to her, she accepted, and the other passengers jumped up in wild applause.

In the rough and tumble of Wall Street, Parke was the consummate professional. She brought both her deep knowledge of the asset management world, and an acute understanding of what drives investment decisions across both institutional and retail investors. After retiring from Citi, Parke worked for Cohen & Steers, Legg Mason, and Brookfield, before “fully” retiring in 2021—only to serve for several years as Treasurer at the First Congregational Church of Madison (CT).

What was most remarkable about Parke was her passion for people, and her uncanny ability to sense and act on solving problems. At work, and with her friends, she became the “Go-To” person for listening, understanding—and responding with sage advice. Simply put, Parke loved people, and they loved her (especially Craig, who doted on her).

She was also a premier party person, hosting scores of events over the years. Despite her wide range of accomplishments, Parke was a humble and resilient friend, always looking to help her buddies, on either personal or professional issues—and often accompanied by a wicked sense of humor.

Parke enjoyed a host of leisure passions over the years, ranging from travel, tennis and sailing, to gardening, painting and the New York City Ballet. Last year, she took up Mah-Jongg and Canasta, and continued to play tennis until quite recently. Parke and Craig also shared a passion for history: she was a cousin of the George S. Patton family, and a longtime member of the Colonial Dames of America (NY), where she was the Flag Bearer.

Parke is survived by her loving husband Craig, their daughter Caitlin Battles, son Chase, brother-in-law Carl Johnson and wife Susan, and brother-in-law Laurence Johnson; brothers Allen C. Miller Jr. and wife Jean, and brother Cary Miller and wife Abigail; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service celebrating the life of Parke Patton Miller Johnson will be held on Thursday October 16 at 2PM EDT at The First Congregational Church of Madison, 26 Meeting House Lane, Madison, CT 06443.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests considering a donation to the American Cancer Society.