John Joseph Robson

John Joseph "Joe" Robson, 71, passed away on Dec. 27, surrounded by family, after a courageous battle with cancer. Loved husband, father, grandfather, friend and businessman, Joe had a strong Christian faith, was the family historian, and was known for his integrity, his hearty laugh and his shiny blonde hair from years of competitive swimming. Joe grew up on a cattle ranch east of Tulsa. His mother taught him the value of tenacity and being diligent while his father taught him that a man's reputation is his greatest possession. He began his real estate career in 1976 after graduating from Southern Methodist University with a major in real estate. In 1986, he founded and became President of The Robson Companies, Inc. and began to develop part of the family ranch into the first master planned community in Oklahoma, Forest Ridge. This was the beginning of a lifetime of advocacy for infrastructure improvements and housing. As a residential real estate developer, housing and development were important to Joe. He joined the local homebuilders association and, over his career, he served as President of both the Tulsa and State of Oklahoma associations. Through these positions, he was able to make instrumental and lasting impacts to the state and local homebuilding markets. This would have been plenty for most people, but not for Joe. In 2009, he became Chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and advocated housing issues by testifying before Congress. He also represented NAHB by speaking at an international housing conference in South Africa during the housing crisis. In the Tulsa metro area, his efforts on countless boards and advisory committees played a major role in initiatives to widen the Broken Arrow Expressway and extend the Creek Turnpike, as well as water and sewer initiatives to serve East Tulsa and Broken Arrow. In addition to these public initiatives, he also played a major role in the break up of the old University Center at Tulsa in favor of the now stand-alone satellite universities. Throughout his career, Joe was a community, economic development and housing leader, serving as Chairman of the Board of RCB Bank for many years, a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka, a member of the Ok Judicial Nomination Commission, the US Golf Association Greens Committee, and on the Boards of the Chamber of Commerce of Broken Arrow, Tulsa and Oklahoma. He also enjoyed his appointment to the Tulsa Airport Authority, serving as Chairman several times. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa and served in several leadership positions. Joe was an incredibly generous person, who served his community with time and resources. He was a Life Member of the Tulsa Salvation Army Advisory Board, served on the National Salvation Army Board, was a former Chairman of the Salvation Army, and received its prestigious "Others" award. Some of his other honors included: two-time recipient of Broken Arrow's Citizen of the Year, Tulsa Builder of the Year, Oklahoma Builder of the Year, NAHB's Exemplary Service to Housing, and was inducted into the Oklahoma Builders Hall of Fame. In 2013, Joe and Hannah, his wife of 43 years, were inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame. He was recently interviewed by John Erling for his "Voices of Oklahoma" Series. Although Joe loved his community involvement, his greatest passion was spending time with his family, as well as hunting, fishing, playing golf, snow skiing and scuba diving. In addition to his wife, Joe is survived by children Davis (Bailey) Robson and Callie (Timothy) Hamilton, and five grandchildren: Whitney and Axel Robson, and Ella, Heidi and Sadie Hamilton, his brother Bruce (Emily) Robson, his sister Sybil (Matthew) Orr, Uncle Frank Robson, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents, Alma and Nick Robson, and his brother Ed Robson. In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Joe with a donation to the Tulsa Area Salvation Army or a charity of your choice. A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 13, at 2:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, followed by a reception in the church's Stephenson Hall.

John Joseph Robson

September 7, 1954 - December 27, 2025