Obituary of Anthony Joseph Johnston

JOHNSTON, Anthony Joseph “TJ” It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tony at Windsor Regional Hospital on March 4, 2023 at 88 years of age, surrounded by family and friends. Tony was the beloved partner of Jane Bryans for 37 years, and was much loved by all Jane’s family. Born in 1934 to Joseph and Annabella Johnston, Tony was predeceased by his sister Gabrielle (1941), his brother Hugo (2002), his sister Brídín McDermott (2020) and his brother-in-law Michael McDermott (2021). Tony was a loving uncle to his niece, Sister Ethna McDermott, his nephew, Michael McDermott (Miriam) and his great-niece, Annabella, all of Northern Ireland. Cherished by dear friends Wayne Sargent and William Donnelly. Tony was born in Derry, N. Ireland. His education began at St. Eugene’s Primary School followed by St. Columb’s College Grammar (Secondary) School. He graduated from St. Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth, a recognized College of the National University of Ireland, with a degree in the classics (Latin and Greek) and attended St. Joseph’s Teacher Training College at Trench House in Belfast. While a student, Tony worked various part-time jobs including bell hop and bus conductor. He enjoyed athletics, was a runner and an amateur boxer. For five years, Tony taught in his native city of Derry before immigrating to Canada in 1962. He came for an ‘adventure’, and stayed for a lifetime, returning home to Ireland each summer. As well as being with family ‘back home’, Tony maintained his many and varied friendships. The winner of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, John Hume, had been a classmate at St. Columb’s, and he and Tony remained lifelong friends. Tony’s teaching career in Canada began near Barrie, Ontario at Our Lady of Grace elementary school. He then moved to Windsor, and taught in Holy Rosary and St. Alphonsus elementary schools for 3 years. Tony transferred to F. J. Brennan Secondary School in 1966, where he taught for 25 years, developing lifelong friendships with colleagues, students and their families, who used the affectionately applied moniker of “TJ”. Tony accepted positions at St. Michael’s and St. Joseph’s secondary schools for the last few years of his teaching career. Tony was the recipient of the 1997 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. The many testimonials in support of Tony’s nomination described a man who greatly influenced his students in all aspects of their lives, leading them to strive for and achieve ongoing successes. Throughout Tony’s retirement, any trip to a store or restaurant would result in at least one person approaching him, expressing their appreciation and affection for their former teacher – and Tony, known for his prodigious memory, would always be able to recall their name. Among the huge volume of papers that Tony left behind were many cards and notes from students – sent while students, and also as former students. There were notes from parents; there were birthday cards and Christmas cards; there were students’ writings and reports – he valued them all. Not just an erudite academic, Tony valued athletics. He was a coach of the Brennan cross country team, and a long-time runner himself. He was proud of his boxing career in his younger days, including being the sparring partner of British Commonwealth Featherweight champion, Billy "Spider" Kelly. Tony was the coach of Brennan’s ‘Reach for the Top’ team for the entire duration of the time that it was a staple of CBC programming. He led teams to provincial finals in Toronto that were hosted by the late Alex Trebek. Many of his former proteges continue in his footsteps, having competed on Jeopardy, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and other televised quiz shows. He always revelled in creating and participating in quiz nights in various venues, raising money for many local charities in the process. A man of many interests, Tony enjoyed following horse racing, meticulously keeping records of horses, jockeys, trainers – and his betting wins and losses. He was present at many of the top thoroughbred stakes races in North America and Ireland, including the Kentucky Derby, Michigan Mile, Galway Racing Festival, Belmont Stakes and the Queen’s Plate, to name a few. He enjoyed the challenge of cryptic crossword puzzles, and was an avid reader; his records of the books he had read were almost as meticulous as his horse race records. Tony’s passion for teaching remained and, following his retirement, he volunteered with Uni-Com Lifelong Learning as a teacher of adult education classes, covering a wide variety of topics. As much as Tony remained a teacher, he was also always a student. Having studied Greek, Latin and Gaelic in school, Tony continued the study of Gaelic under Justin Manning through the Irish Canadian Cultural Club for 5 years, and in recent years was teaching himself the Italian language simply for the pleasure of it. Tony also wrote simply for pleasure, with an occasional quick story or poem jotted down, and sometimes shared. His quick wit, strong singing voice and control of the English language made Tony a much sought-after master of ceremonies for many events. A member of the Irish Canadian Cultural Club, Tony started its Literary Symposium, a monthly gathering of like-minded people sharing literature, poetry, music and good craic. He was also a member of the Scottish Club of Windsor, renowned for his ‘Address to the Haggis’ at the annual Burns Supper. Another affiliation that Tony enjoyed was that with Detroit’s Irish American Club (Gaelic League), particularly his participation in the monthly quiz competitions. At Tony’s request, a private cremation has taken place. Family and friends are invited to meet at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (834 Raymo Road, Windsor) on Thursday, March 9, 2023 for Funeral Mass at 10:30 am, with visitation at the Church starting at 9:30 am. Tony’s ashes will be taken home to Ireland by his niece and nephew, Ethna and Michael, to be interred alongside his parents in Derry City Cemetery. Friends wishing to remember Tony with a memorial donation are asked to consider his favourite charity, Street Help of Windsor. A poem that Tony wrote recently was found in his papers, giving us a glimpse of the humour, cleverness and respect for language of an incredible man, who remained ever a writer, teacher and student. My Pet Peeve Don't talk to me about a cutting edge technology or pushing the envelope, or the rare event of thought outside the box, and, please, ask the elephant to leave the room before I jump out a window of opportunity.