Directors, John and Peter Johnson of Henley-in-Arden-based Johnsons Coaches have announced the passing of their mother Joan Johnson, a familiar face within the business. “John and I would like to announce to you all that our mum and our inspiration, Joan Johnson, died peacefully in her sleep on Saturday evening,
17 December 2022, with her family around her. The last thing she would have wanted was for anyone to be sad about her passing; in her own words she said that she loved her family and loved her work.
“Joan joined the business when she married our father Roy in the early 1950s, and between them they took over from the first generation of Johnsons. Joan first worked in the office, which was part of our house while we were young, then became a taxi driver and minibus driver. In 1973 she passed her PSV test and became one the first and very few lady coach drivers in England. Her career as a holiday courier began when we operated our first coach holiday in 1981. Mum enjoyed this work immensely and her smile and enthusiasm was immediately very popular with passengers. Her work in this role lasted for over 30 years until she retired at the age of 79 in 2016. We operated long haul holidays back then as well as British and European holidays, so Mum enjoyed the fact that as a Johnsons courier her work took her all over the world.
“The customer service ethics that we all aspire to were always driven by her. Indeed, it was Mum who came up with our strapline that is still in place today: ’Travel with Johnsons – Travel with Friends.’ Furthermore, when her husband Roy died in 1995 and Mum found herself on her own, it was her that instigated the creation and development of our ‘Single Traveller’ holidays programmes, which we are still very well known for.
“Finally, as we commence a new period in the company’s long history, we will continue to honour her legacy by continuing to care for our customers, staff and suppliers, and deliver the high standards of customer service that Mum instilled in us. We are all justifiably proud of this business and the legacy our mum leaves us; she will be sadly missed but she leaves us with so many happy memories to cherish.”
