Richard Brandon’s spouse Joan has handed away on the age of 80 – he described her as a ‘down-to-earth Scottish woman’ who he ‘really feel in love with immediately’

Joan Templeman, spouse of Sir Richard Branson, has handed away on the age of 80. The Virgin Group founder introduced her loss of life yesterday (November 25) in a heartfelt social media put up, describing Joan as his “finest good friend,” “rock,” “guiding mild” and “world” after over 50 years collectively as companions and greater than three many years of marriage.

Though Joan and Richard spent their time between their non-public island – Necker Island – and London, it wasn’t all the time Caribbean residing for Joan, who had a humble upbringing in Scotland. The Scot was born and raised in Glasgow in 1945 to a working class household.

Her father labored as a ship carpenter in Glasgow to assist her and her six siblings. In line with experiences, she was a really unbiased particular person from a really early age and labored in a number of jobs. These embody working in an vintage retailer in London, residing a life far faraway from the world of world enterprise and the highlight.

Described as a personal particular person, Joan married her childhood sweetheart Richard Leahy in 1966, however the pair later bought divorced in 1978. In the course of the time of her divorce she met Richard Branson on the vintage store, Dodo in Notting Hill, which was near the the entrepreneur’s Virgin Information workplace, The Manor.

Richard recalled assembly Joan for the primary time in 1976, in a 2020 weblog put up titled The Second I Met Joan, and claimed to have fallen for her ‘virtually from the second i noticed her’ and was caught by her heat, humour and direct manner of talking.

He described her as a “down-to-earth Scottish woman,” and as somebody he rapidly realised “would not be impressed” by his “standard antics”.

“A blonde-haired, down-to-earth Scottish magnificence who didn’t undergo fools, Joan was not like some other lady I had ever met,” he wrote.

The 75-year-old acknowledged he pretended to be thinking about antiques simply to get the prospect to talk to Joan, saying he ended up with an “spectacular assortment” of previous antiques from all his visits, attempting to win her over.

He later recalled travelling throughout international locations to see her and even being impressed to make a proposal on Necker Island after inviting her on a visit there. That island would later develop into central to their household story.

Talking about buying Necker Island, Richard wrote: “We had been nonetheless within the early days of Virgin Information and I positively didn’t have the money to purchase it – however attempt telling that to a idiot in love!”

His first supply for the island was rejected, however the couple nonetheless loved the vacation in any case and Richard went on to buy the island a 12 months later.

Richard and Joan suffered heartbreak in 1979, once they welcomed their first daughter, Clare Sarah, into the world. Clare was born in Scotland, and arrived three months early, tragically passing away 4 days later attributable to problems.

The couple then went on to have two youngsters, Holly in 1981 and Sam in 1985, and finally tied the knot in 1989 on Necker Island, 11 years after buying, when Holly and Sam had been eight and 4.

Each their youngsters later determined to comply with of their mother and father footsteps and have their very own weddings on the island as effectively.

The pair went on to spend greater than three many years married earlier than her passing on the age of 80, forsaking her husband, two youngsters and 5 grandchildren.

Writing a put up in the present day (November 26) titled Keep in mind Joan, Richard acknowledged: “Life won’t ever be the identical with out her. However we’ve fifty unimaginable years of recollections – years full of tears and laughter, kindness, and a love that formed our household greater than phrases might ever seize.”

Richard described Joan as his ‘every little thing’ within the put up, earlier than signing the weblog off stating Joan was: “the shining star round which our household’s universe has all the time orbited. That mild isn’t gone; it’s simply taken on a brand new form. It can information us ahead. And we are going to carry her with us, all the time.”