Simon Johnson Obituary, Simon Johnson Has Passed Away – Death Cause
Simon Johnson Obituary, Death – Simon Johnson 06-05-1957 to 20-05-2023 We are writing to share with you the news that Simon Johnson, Huey Crewmaster, passed away on Saturday, May 20th, in Bolton Hospital with his wife Nina and son Bradley at his side. It is with tremendous regret and heavy hearts that we share this news with you. Coming straight from Captain Phil and Jo Connolly
When I first met Simon, it was in the month of June in 2005. The BBC had called me because they were aware that the Huey was going to be visiting the United Kingdom and they wanted its newsroom staff to be a part of the excitement. They mentioned that one of their employees, Simon Johnson, was very knowledgeable about World War II, other militaries, and aviation; so, I called Simon on the phone and discovered that he lived only twenty minutes away from me.
We began our connection from that point forward by getting acquainted with one another. In point of fact, Simon was the one who conceived the idea of inviting members of the 129th AHC in the United States to travel to the United Kingdom for the BBC filming. This event, which was monumental, moving, and humbling, was also the catalyst for the beginning of the long-lasting friendship that we have with those individuals.
Many wonderful memories of times spent with Simon, including visits to air shows, rides in the Huey and the Loach, hanger activities, and travels to the United States that included get-togethers with 129th Veterans, typically (and always!) accompanied by a shot of whiskey and a hearty laugh. Jo and I, along with everyone else who had the good fortune to meet him, will miss Simon very much because he was a storehouse of information and he was a terrific craic.
When we were trapped indoors due to the bad weather near Dumfries, Simon and I ended up sleeping in the same bed for the night. He was always a funny guy. We were at the mercy of the very nice people throughout the night while we waited for the weather to clear up the next day.
We are going to miss him tremendously.
