Tribute to Denis Johnston, 1948 - 2022

We will miss Denis tremendously, he always had the solution to any problems willingly thoughtfully and scientifically. Jennifer and I were really sorry we could not be at the gathering as we were signing the papers for the sale of our house in France on the 28th at 4pm so it was impossible to make it back in time.He was always good fun, and tolerant which reminds me of a couple of anecdotes (kindly told by Chris on our behalf) which those who were unable to attend might like. When Denis and Wira came out to France to help with our roof we were going out for a meal to the nearest town but were pushed for time. Denis was late getting ready so he suggested he could shower in our camper van on the move. ( I might add that it was April and i had assured Denis that it didn’t snow that far south) So we set off in the snow for the restaurant but as we went round the first corner a shriek came from the shower and Denis came crashing out complaining there was no water. So with a quick U turn we returned to the house with Denis covered in soap where i tuned the hose pipe unfortunately cold only to a howling Denis.We made it to the restaurant only to find Denis did not like French food.Denis stayed at our flat in Tooting this was quite traumatic!He was sleeping in our bedroom and I( being so tidy when doing odd jobs) had left a door from another room leaning against the wall of the bedroom. After perhaps over imbibing a little he got up in the night and tried the bedroom door which used to stick, so quickly deduced that it must be the other door against the wall that was the one to exit. It came as a bit of a shock as he pulled and it almost fell on him.After some time and without waking us up he managed to complete his ablutions without further ado and regaled the event to us in the morning.Great times , again we shall miss him.Alan and Jennifer

We will miss Denis tremendously, he always had the solution to any problems willingly thoughtfully and scientifically. Jennifer and I were really sorry we could not be at the gathering as we were signing the papers for the sale of our house in France on the 28th at 4pm so it was impossible to make it back in time.He was always good fun, and tolerant which reminds me of a couple of anecdotes (kindly told by Chris on our behalf) which those who were unable to attend might like. When Denis and Wira came out to France to help with our roof we were going out for a meal to the nearest town but were pushed for time. Denis was late getting ready so he suggested he could shower in our camper van on the move. ( I might add that it was April and i had assured Denis that it didn’t snow that far south) So we set off in the snow for the restaurant but as we went round the first corner a shriek came from the shower and Denis came crashing out complaining there was no water. So with a quick U turn we returned to the house with Denis covered in soap where i tuned the hose pipe unfortunately cold only to a howling Denis.We made it to the restaurant only to find Denis did not like French food.Denis stayed at our flat in Tooting this was quite traumatic!He was sleeping in our bedroom and I( being so tidy when doing odd jobs) had left a door from another room leaning against the wall of the bedroom. After perhaps over imbibing a little he got up in the night and tried the bedroom door which used to stick, so quickly deduced that it must be the other door against the wall that was the one to exit. It came as a bit of a shock as he pulled and it almost fell on him.After some time and without waking us up he managed to complete his ablutions without further ado and regaled the event to us in the morning.Great times , again we shall miss him.Alan and Jennifer

This is a shortened version of my tribute to Denis, spoken after the funeral on 29th April 2022. Tim Devereux, Alan Williams, Denis and myself have been members of a very close-knit group known to ourselves (and to a few others) for more than 50 years as ‘the Amps’, as I will now explain.  Forget John, Paul, George and Ringo – they were just a short-term flash in the pan compared with us!  A long-lasting group friendship like this, spanning more than five decades, has been a wonderful thing and the loss of Denis has left us bereft. The four of us were all most fortunate to apply separately to Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in 1971, to be accepted, and then to be assigned to work together teaching technicians at the Hardy Senior Technical Institute in Amparai (hence ‘the Amps’), in the remote Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.  We taught Electrical, Mechanical and Automotive Engineering to Singhalese and Tamil students who were only a little younger than ourselves, and we were provided by the college with a bungalow in a glorious landscape of irrigation lakes (in which we could swim) and distant mountains, populated by friendly people and only slightly less friendly wild elephants, monkeys, snakes and other creatures.  And it was hot, very hot - often up to 40 degrees centigrade, but a dry bearable heat.  We gelled as a group right from the start.  We were delighted that the other VSO’s on the island loved to visit us in our remote paradise, enduring long journeys by train and bus, especially on public holiday weekends (of which there were many, as the Buddhist, Hindu, Moslem and Christian festivals were all celebrated). Denis and I had flown out to Sri Lanka together at the end of October 1971.  Tim and Alan were already in Amparai, having arrived previously.  Denis and I knew Tim from the VSO training course held in the summer of 1971 at Reading University.  Denis’ and my relationship had got off to a very promising start there when my ageing Ford Anglia car was stolen from outside the University hall of residence where we were staying.  The police found it the very next day, abandoned, and with a hole in one of the pistons.  It seemed that the car had been taken by joy-riders, but it was otherwise undamaged.  I needed the car to take my girlfriend (now wife) Sue and me on a camping holiday round England and Wales after the end of the course, so Denis immediately stepped into the breach saying “we can fix this here and now”, and indeed we did, in the hall of residence car park (though we had to miss some Sinhala language lessons as a result).  This was typical of Denis: resourceful, practical, hugely empathetic.  The subsequent holiday was a great success and I was eternally grateful to Denis for this. In Amparai, we all worked hard, but we had much to learn as none of us had taught previously.  Bridge became a regular form of relaxation for the four of us and with our Sri Lankan colleagues (though Denis was the least aggressively competitive at bridge, of the four of us).  Denis also brought his guitar-playing skills and repertoire, a small part of which he passed on to Tim and Alan.  I know that Denis missed us all greatly in his second year after Alan, Tim and I had returned to UK, Denis thereby showing the greatest commitment to VSO and to the students.  We quickly picked up the threads of the friendship when he returned, visiting each other in all of the various places where the four of us have lived; then through our wedding days and the arrival of children (11 in total for the four families).  I remember Denis and Wira’s wedding in October 1981 and its barn dance as one of the best and happiest weddings that Sue and I have ever attended. With our young children it became harder to all get together quite so often but as they grew older we overcame that problem and reinstituted the four of us getting together twice in most years, for marathon bridge sessions accompanied by Sri Lankan beer and arrack, curries, music and putting the world to rights.  Several times we have returned to Sri Lanka, together and separately, and since COVID we have also kept in touch with our former students by Zoom.  Since 1983 Alan has also been successful in persuading us to help him in the restoration of his and Jennifer’s holiday house in deepest France – a very long-term project.  We helped to renew the roof, to connect mains drainage and to repair rotting floors, with Alan providing food, wine and bridge opportunities.  It is truly a tragedy to lose Denis so relatively young.  We have lost a very special friend.  But his and Wira’s sons and hopefully the next generation have inherited and will inherit his unique mix of genes.  We will miss him enormously and we will always remember his company, his many talents, his great sense of humour, and his positive approach to life. Chris Kinchin-Smith

[This is the text of my eulogy for Denis]Many thanks to those of you who have spoken about Denis – we have a picture of a man of many talents, and I will recap four of them. Had there been a campaign for de-geeking engineering, Denis would have made a brilliant choice of poster boy - knowing his subject – yes; shy & awkward - absolutely not!Talent 1: Brilliant practical engineerI’d like to say he only had to lay hands on any malfunctioning electrical or mechanical apparatus & it would miraculously spring back to life, but I wouldn’t want to upset his Humanist sensibilities. (By the way, Denis, not very humanist to die in Holy Week was it?) Chris will have told you about the Ford Anglia piston replacement during the Reading course, thereby saving Chris & Sue’s holiday. He did the same for my Tiger Cub motorbike in 1975, with a day to spare before I needed to collect my then girlfriend/now wife from Heathrow after a few months in Nepal. It started first time, in Alan’s kitchen.Talent 2: Teacher My relationship with Denis had two phases – the time we shared on VSO in Sri Lanka, 1971 & 1972 and then the many years back in the UK. At Hardy Senior Technical Institute, we were colleagues in the Electrical Engineering Department and shared an office. I remember I taught the electrical technician students about electrical machines; 50 years later, I have absolutely no recollection what Denis taught them, but he seemed to do it very well. He was a talented teacher – though he’d had no teaching experience before HSTI, Denis was a natural. We wondered why the students could understand him better than us, despite his accent. He divulged his secret – he was havingto speak at half speed to us so we could understand, and used the same cunning tactic for the students. [At the wake, I learnt from Suresh, an ex-student speaking from Sri Lanka, that this was not the full story! Initially, the students couldn’t understand him at all! Then he got the ‘half speed’ idea & all was well.]He helped teach me to drive – I still remember his advice about reversing - “Now & again, have a look to see what’s happening at the front”. If I’d kept to it, I would have damaged fewer front wings and gate posts.He taught us a great deal about the conflict in Northern Ireland - the weekly Guardian would bring us news of the latest outrage.He expanded my vocabulary – he & I are from opposite sides of the Northern Irish sectarian divide, and he kindly taught me 57 different ways to say "illegitimate person of the Catholic persuasion"Talent 3: Outstanding bridge partnerOnce we were back here, Alan, Chris, Denis & I became monogamous, at least as far as bridge parters; it was always Electricals vs Mechanicals. And, though I don’t wish to speak ill of the dead, to be totally honest, Denis wasn’t especially good at bridge, so we were well matched. But I will remember the delicious occasions when he would understand my outlandish bid, and we would actually make the unlikely contract.Talent 4: Joie de vivreA cheerful enjoyment of life, an exultation of spirit. – thanks Wikipedia. Denis had it in spades! He could be in a wonderfully cheerful and gloriously silly mood after a minimal amount of alcohol. The parties we held for the other VSOs on the island gave this talent full reign.Of course, just to reassure everyone, this was 1972, there was no lethal global pandemic, Denis was not the Prime Minister who had made the laws and we were in Sri Lanka not Downing Street.People mention his wit and sense of humour. I remember having a meal in a London restaurant in the 70s – as we settled ourselves at the table, he passed over his suitcase to be put out of the way, and speaking loudly in his best Northern Irish accent, he said “Carefulwith that one, it’s primed”. He had so many awful jokes – who could forget “Chickens are going cheep this week. Well, you didn’t expect them to  go bow wow?”There’s much I haven’t talked about – he was my best man; he had a wonderful career with BT; his family. But let’s remember our dear dear friend Denis, and be thankful for having had the pleasure of knowing him. Raise your glasses – to Denis!Tim Devereux 29/04/2022

Dear Viera, It is with sadness, we read about the diminish of our beloved teacher few days ago. We the contemporary “Hardy” students shared the news among us in Sri Lanka and those overseas with profound sadness. We recall our life at “Hardy Technical Training Institute” Ampara, Sri Lanka (1971-1973) with our beloved teacher Mr. Denis Johnston, that was filled with memories. Also, we recollect our memories of your visit with him accompanied with younger son to attend the 50 years of hardy institute and delivering the guest speech at the Golden Jubilee celebration. Please accept our heartfelt condolence on behalf of students and Hardy Alumni Association: kindly pass down this massage to your sons and close family members as well. We the Members of Hardy Alumni Association – Sri Lanka 27th April 2022

I knew Denis slightly from BT, though we never had the opportunity to work closely together. When he joined the Suffolk Humanist and Secularist group, after his retirement, I appreciated what a lovely, good-humoured and kind man he was. When he became the chairman of the group he gave his time generously and thoughtfully, and kept the discussions going with anecdotes and clever contributions. He produced the group newsletter and led the re-vamping and maintainance of the website, despite his many other interests, activities and commitments. He will be sorely missed indeed, and long and fondly remembered.John Mellis  

I got to know Denis through  interfaith such as  SIFRE and Ipswich Faith and Community. Although had we known each other as youngsters we would have been on the opposite sides in N Ireland but as adults we believed in the same Humanist way. Denis seemed to have many talents and helped out so much with the voluntary interfaith work and we shall all miss his humour and positivity. A lovely man, greatly respected and much missed.

A famous writer once said “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”.   If that is true, then Mr. DENIS JONSTON made a great life. He was the most giving person I’ve ever known. Hope that many of you agree.   I am Sarath Prematilake pleased to address you in this occasion to say good bay to Denis, history of our mutual friendship runs far back to 1971-1973 when Denis was a lecturer in the “HARDY SENIOR TECHNICAL INSTITUE – AMPARA, Sri Lanka. At the time we were Engineering Diplomates in the institute.   We departed each other in 1973 at the completion our academic studies and the graduation yet, we students could not forget our foreign teachers(VSO) who came from the United Kingdom, namely Mr. Denis Johnston, Mr. Chris, Mr. Alan,  Mr. William and Mr. Devereux.   As the time passes, our institute also were getting aged and reaching 50years old in 2006, and our ‘Hardy Old Boys Association’ decided to commemorate the 50th anniversary in a grand scale and to  invite our foreign  teachers who rendered and dedicated their engineering knowledge on behalf of the students in the  “HARDY SENIOR TECHNICAL INSTITUE – AMPARA, Sri Lanka.   Astonishing us, they accepted our invitation  and visited in Sri Lanka to decorate the event, Mr. Denis with his wife Veira and their younger son were also with us to share the pleasure of the event.      Denis was a nice husband to his wife, an exemplary father to his sons, good teacher, very unpretentious entertainer, his both hands were stretched to help others, His time devoted many hours to acquire the modern knowledge and technology. He always had positive attitudes.     Denis  was a remarkably thoughtful; hardworking; fun-loving person. He was a person of great compassion and love. He always said  “family is the most important thing in life”;   Those are words of wisdom that I will always cherish.   In closing, I would like to share this poem with you:   Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep.   I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glint on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain.   When you wake in the morning hush, I am the swift, uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft starlight at night.   Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there; I do not sleep.   Dear Denis, thank you for being part of our lives. We are all going to miss you. Thank you…………………………….  

Denis was the most intelligent and witty person I have ever come across. A lovely, caring person and one I was proud to call my brother in law. He had a great sense of humour which I really appreciated. My lasting memory is of him at David and Rachel's wedding. He gave such a superb speech and you could see he was bursting with pride. Such a happy day. However, I cannot forgive him for Morris dancing to a Beyonce song at Michael and Yasmin's wedding. Luckily no pictures are available. I will never forget the look of embarrassment on Robert's face! Priceless!🤣R.i P Denis.

Denis was such a big part of our lovely Morris dancing family, his love and light spread well beyond the boundaries of Westrefelda Morris team and I know that so many in the Morris world who knew him, or even momentarily had the good fortune to dance with him at the many events we went to, will say the same, he was a lovely man, full of fun and energy who only added brightness and positivity to the proceedings.Denis was part of Westrefleda Morris team for so long that I can hardly recall the year he joined us but it was well over 15 years ago that this gentle giant of a man joined us after coming to our practices as a newbie with his neighbour Helena to see what the fuss was all about. He found the stepping hard at first and would regale us with stories of him dancing on the heath whilst walking his dog! He enjoyed our delight as he told us how the dog was starting to get it while he still struggled! Denis never gave up and became a stalwart member of the team, always there to offer help when needed and a light-hearted comment to jolly along the proceedings.We know we have lost a dear friend in Denis and we are still coming to terms with the fact we will not see him anymore at our Monday night gatherings but we will try our hardest to practice what he preached, he would say in his soft Irish tones, ‘there’s nothing you can do about it, just be happy and carry on!’ Well, we promise to live up to his optimistic outlook on life and do just that, there will still be a hole that can’t be filled but we will rejoice in being lucky enough to have had the pleasure of his joyful enthusiasm for so many years. Thank you Denis & Wira for being such a lovely part of the Westrefelda family.Liz WhatlingSquire of Westrefelda Morris dancers.

Denis, you were so truly kind and patient with me many years ago, teaching me how to edit the u3a website - at a very basic level - as I learnt a new skill. I loved your dry sense of humour. You were someone I could always reply on to help me and any u3a member that needed guidance. A real rock. You did so much for u3a in East Suffolk over the many years you served on the committee and, then again, still continued after you left. It was  wonderful when you agreed to come back and join the committee again last year. You will be so sadly missed by a lot of members.Thank you so much for being such a lovely person to know. I will miss you more than you will ever know.Chris G.