In Loving Memory of Joan

This month, I’m sharing a personal reflection in honour of Joan Branson - a woman of rare warmth, quiet strength, and deep humanity, whose presence shaped many lives, including my own.

As we move through a season of reflection, remembrance, and connection, it feels important to pause and honour someone who embodied care, generosity, and love in both the quiet moments and the wider world. This is a small offering of gratitude for a life beautifully lived, and an invitation to reflect on the people who shape us in ways that stay with us long after they’re gone.

It is with great sadness and deep gratitude for who she was that I honour her passing.

Joan carried a special kind of energy; steady, grounding, playful, and full of love. As Richard so beautifully shared, she was the rock in his life. A quiet strength. A force of care and calm that held everything together, often behind the scenes, where it mattered most.

She was from Glasgow, my hometown too, and she carried that spirit with her warmth, humour, compassion, and an unmistakable sense of home. While Joan touched the wider world with grace and generosity, what mattered most to her were the quieter moments: being a mum, a grandmother, a wife, a best friend, an aunt - simply being there for the people she loved. At her heart, she was deeply kind, thoughtful, and profoundly human.

I was lucky to know that side of Joan. To share moments, conversations, and laughter that I will hold close. Her passing has brought shock and grief, but also deep gratitude and a reminder to live more like her: to slow down, to care more deeply, and to show up for the people who matter in smaller, more meaningful ways.

My thoughts, love, and heartfelt support are with Richard, Holly, Freddie, Sam, Bellie, the grandchildren, and all of Joan’s extended family and dear friends. I can only imagine the depth of this loss, especially at this time of year.

For anyone carrying grief, whether fresh or familiar, I hope there is comfort in remembering that love does not end. That those we lose continue to live on through us, shaping who we are and how we show up in the world.

For now, we hold Joan and the Branson family close in our thoughts, with love, gratitude, and deep respect for a life so beautifully lived.

With love,

Fiona