'Best teacher I ever had': Former students remember retired Strathroy teacher killed in crash

Mary Jo Johnson is being remembered for her warm presence and having a big smile on her face.

The retired visual arts teacher spent her entire career, spanning three decades, at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute where her former students and colleagues say she always kept an open door and ensured everyone felt welcome.

"She was by far the best teacher I ever had," said Amanda Vandenburg, who took Johnson's art class throughout high school and did a co-op art teaching placement with her in 2001. 

"She had such motherly energy and was very kind. I feel like she put a lot into her students just because she wanted everyone to succeed at everything they did."

Johnson, 73, and her husband Richard, 78, were killed in a crash on Oct. 19 after their SUV and a pickup truck collided on a rural road in Norfolk County.

Ontario Provincial Police responded to the crash on Cockshutt Road and Concession 3 Townsend north of Simcoe shortly before 10 a.m., that morning. The Simcoe couple suffered serious life-threatening injuries and died on scene, said West Region Sgt. Ed Sanchuk in a video posted on social media, calling the crash "devastating." 

The pickup truck's driver remained on scene and sustained minor injuries, Sanchuk said.  

Vandenburg said Johnson's compassionate attitude toward students had a very positive influence, adding the pair reconnected ten years ago and regularly kept in touch through email. 

"She was more than just a teacher, she had a life impact," Vandenburg said. "There was a time where I was hanging with the wrong people and she had heart-to-heart conversations about what she was noticing, but in a way that never shamed or judged." 

The benchmark of a perfect couple

Matt Johnson described his dad Richard and step-mother Mary Jo's relationship as "the perfect fit." He and his sister Lori met Mary Jo, 35 years ago as children. Although the couple's romantic relationship didn't bloom until the 2000s, the siblings adored her, he said. 

"When you look at couples through your lifetime and you think about perfect matches, their relationship was just that," he said. "They're the benchmark couple that everybody aspired to be."

Matt said he's not entirely sure where his parents were going when the crash happened but believes they were likely travelling to Ancaster for some shopping.

In the days following his parents' death, Matt said the outpouring of community support has been overwhelming and he's comforted to know how many people were touched by their impact.

Richard spent his life working at a trucking company called Navistar in his hometown of Chatham, and after his retirement, worked a part-time job at a men's clothing store to keep busy, his son said.  

Johnson started teaching in 1974 and eventually became head of the school's arts department, until her retirement in 2005. When Toni Wilson joined the school as an English teacher in 1978, she had no idea she'd find a lifelong friend in Johnson.

"She had really good relationships with her students," said Wilson, a friend of Johnson for nearly 45 years. "She was the type of teacher who loved being hands on with students in the classroom and really wanted to make an impact."

Another former student, Alicia McElroy said Johnson was instrumental in her decision to pursue a visual arts degree at the University of Toronto.

"She always had a lot of patience and the utmost compassion for me," McElroy said. "She was always a safe space and when you have a teacher that went above and beyond for you every time, it really stands out."

The late couple's family will host a celebration of life this afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ferris Funeral Home in Simcoe.