North Longford saddened by death of nature lover and sports enthusiast John Johnson

There was a feeling of regret and sadness in the parish last Sunday week, June 23, with the news of the death of John Johnson, Mullinroe, who passed away peacefully in the Lisdarn Unit of Cavan Hospital following a short illness. 

John was in his eighty-fifth year of age and was a native of Dunshaughlin in County Meath from where he emigrated to London in his early twenties where he worked for London Transport for many years. 

There he met his future wife, Kathleen Jeffers, a native of County Cork, and they married in 1962 and settled in Willesden Green in north-west London where they raised their family.

John and Kathleen returned to Ireland in the 1990s, at first in Cork, but then moved to Mullinalaghta and built their beautiful new home at Mullinroe Cross near to Kathleen’s sister Bernadette Kiernan where they spent many happy years.

John had a great interest in current affairs and sport – particularly in football and racing – as well as having a great love of nature and gardening and enjoyed his trips to Gowna on Tuesday nights for a game of twenty-five. 

John is survived by his beloved wife Kathleen, his children Richard, Majella, and Niall, his brother Charlie, his sister Mary, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, relatives, neighbours and a wide circle of friends to whom we express our sincere sympathy. 

John’s Funeral Mass took place in St. Columba’s Church last Thursday, June 27 and was celebrated by Fr Séamus McKeon, who had known John and Kathleen in London, assisted by Fr. Michael Bannon, with his cremation taking place afterwards in Lakelands Crematorium, Cavan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.