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Popular Travis Johnson, OBE, died peacefully at his home in Jamaica where he was buried on Wednesaday, June 30.

The grandfather returned to his Caribbean homeland last September with wife Betsy after living and working in Leeds for 46 years.

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He died at his island home on June 8.

When in Leeds, the retired social worker and magistrate lived off Street Lane in Roundhay.

Canon Alan Talyor, of St Aidan's Church, Harehills, preached at the
service.

A memorial service will be held in Leeds on July 26.

Today, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, joined tributes to Mr Johnson, a former member of the Church of England General Synod, a Lay Canon of Ripon Cathedral, church warden and a member of the Jamaica Diaspora UK Advisory Board.

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"He was a dedicated and greatly respected Christian who encouraged many others from minority ethnic backgrounds, and as lay canon at the Cathedral had an important role, encouraging vocations to the ordained ministry," he said.

"Mr Johnson was a warm, compassionate man who showed friendship and offered support to all he encountered, and who gave tireless service in a number of fields.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with his wife, Betsy, their children Desmond and Angelique, grandchildren and friends."

Mr Johnson first moved to the UK in 1962 when he was 18 and started his working life with British Rail.

He was later a bus driver and then a social worker.

His life-long friend Arthur France, chairman of the Chapeltown Carnival, said: "Travis was a great ambassador for the black comunity.

"He was well known and well respected, a very positive role model who will be sadly missed by many."

He was a founding member and later chairman of the Jamaican Society in Leeds.

In 1994 he became one of the first Lay Canons of Ripon Cathedral, honoured for his long service to the church and community.

He became a member of the General Synod, representing ethnic Anglican concerns, and a member of diocesan and national selection panels responsible for testing the vocations of candidates for ordained ministry.

In 1999 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by the Queen.

A memorial service for Mr Johnson is planned for Sunday July 26, at St Aidan's Church, Harehills, where he was a long time member.
Wisdom

Canon Taylor said Mr Johnson made an important contribution to St Aidan's church.

"He brought to the parliamentary nature of synodical government his wisdom, sense of justice, and a deep awareness of procedure that enriched the Anglican communion and in particular the Church of England.

"His passion for equality and fairness was unquestionable. He was a man who practised what he preached, never shirking away from hard work and would push himself to the limit," he said.

Working in the field of race relations for over 20 years, and serving on the board of two Housing Associations, on the board of governors of an FE college and comprehensive school.

He also served as a member of the Board of Visitors at HM Prison Thorpe Arch.

Burchell Whiteman, Jamaican High Commissioner to the UK, said Mr Johnson was an honourable man, devoted to his family.

He said: "He was dedicated to his community and to his homeland. Mr Johnson was good for Jamaica, good for the United Kingdom and a strong pillar for the northern region."