Life Stories
William Norman Godfrey Johnson
William Norman Godfrey Johnson (1968 BA Jurisprudence) died on 16 February 2025 aged 76.
Willy, as he was universally known, enjoyed his time at Keble very much. An accomplished oarsman, he rowed for Isis against Goldie in the 1969 Boat Races and was a member of the victorious Keble Head of the River Eight. He was a popular personality with a distinctive dress sense who made lifelong friends at the College.
After graduating, he qualified as a solicitor and became a corporate lawyer working in the main for banks and financial institutions. He also had one spell as a Director and Company Secretary of Dr Martens footwear which gave him a very different retail experience which he very much enjoyed.
As well as being a devoted husband and father, Willy had many interests and hobbies.
He loved walking and was instrumental in founding a group of his Keble alumni friends, “Willy’s Walkers “. This group, a dozen strong at times, walked the length of the Pyrenees in stages from the Atlantic to the Pyrenees and subsequently still meet annually in the Dolomites. He planned these trips meticulously and had a particular affection for the Basque region.
He also loved jazz and studying foreign languages, the more abstruse the better.
Willy and his family settled in Worcestershire living finally in Malvern with the Hills providing great walks for him and his otter hounds.
Willy’s last few years were tough physically as he overcame two separate cancers. But he maintained his unfailing good humour and continued with his walking and language studies.
He leaves a wife, Sue, three daughters, Alice, Olivia and Rosie and 5 grandchildren.
Kindly provided by friend and contemporary Kit Brownlees (1967)