‘The best teacher I ever had’: Former students remember retired Strathroy teacher who died in accident

Mary Jo Johnson was remembered for her warm presence and broad smile.

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 the doors open and made sure everyone felt welcome.

“She was by far the best teacher I ever had,” said Amanda Vandenburg, who took art classes with Johnson throughout high school and interned with her in 2001 as a collaborative artist.

“She had such motherly energy and was very kind. I think she put a lot into her students just because she wanted everyone to succeed in everything they did.”

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

Ontario Provincial Police responded to a crash at Cockshutt Road and Concession 3 Townsend north of Simcoe just before 10 a.m. this morning. As reported by Sgt. West Region, a Simcoe couple suffered serious life-threatening injuries and died at the scene. Ed Sanchuk called the crash “devastating” in a video posted on social media.

Sanchuk said the driver of the pickup truck remained at the scene and suffered minor injuries.

Vandenburg said Johnson’s compassionate approach to students had a very positive impact, adding that the two reconnected a decade ago and regularly stayed in touch via email.

“She was more than just a teacher, she touched lives,” Vandenburg said. “There were times when I was hanging out with the wrong people and she had a heart-to-heart about what she noticed, but in a way that was never shaming or judgmental.”

The reference point for the perfect couple

Matt Johnson has described his dad Richard and stepmother Mary Jo’s relationship as a “perfect match.” He and his sister Lori met Mary Jo 35 years ago as children. Although the couple’s romantic relationship didn’t blossom until 2000, the siblings adored them, he said.

“When you look at couples throughout their lives and think about perfect matches, their relationship was just that,” he said. “They are the model couple that everyone aspired to be.”

Matt said he wasn’t entirely sure where his parents went when the accident happened, but he believed they were probably going to Ancaster for shopping.

In the days after his parents’ deaths, Matt said the outpouring of public support has been overwhelming and he takes comfort in the fact that many people have been touched by their impact.

Richard spent his life working for the Navistar trucking company in his hometown of Chatham, and after retiring, he worked part-time at a men’s clothing store to keep busy, his son said.

Johnson began teaching in 1974 and eventually became head of the school’s art department until her retirement in 2005. When Toni Wilson joined the school as an English teacher in 1978, she had no idea she would find a friend in Johnson for life.

“She had a really good relationship with her students,” said Wilson, a friend of Johnson’s for almost 45 years. “She was the type of teacher who loved having direct contact with students in the classroom and really wanted to make an impact.”

Another former student, Alicia McElroy, stated that Johnson played a key role in her decision to pursue a visual arts degree at the University of Toronto.

“She always had a lot of patience with me and a lot of compassion,” McElroy said. “It was always a safe space, and when you have a teacher who went above and beyond for you every time, that really stands out.”

The family of the deceased couple will hold a funeral service this afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ferris Funeral Home in Simcoe.