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When a
stunned-sounding former DaC Calltaker, Donna Merry,
phoned Call Sign on the morning of Tuesday 13 December to ask if
we’d heard that Johnny Wells (ex K68) had died that
morning, we were just totally shocked. Driver after driver then
called to ask whether the news they had heard was true. Sadly,
it was. Earlier that morning, John Wells passed away after
suffering for some time with cancer of the bowel. John and Donna had represented Call Sign at many shooting events and indeed, in October 2002, this magazine partly sponsored his trip to San Antonio, Texas, to take part in shooting’s World Championship and to try to emulate Donna, who had picked up a silver medal in the 2001 championships. John was never jealous of Donna’s success and often confided to us that he believed her to be the best female shooter on the planet. In fact, John’s nature was that of a really lovely and friendly guy. He was never short of a joke and whilst never afraid to voice his criticism, never did so with any hint of malice. Years earlier, Call Sign had |
JOHN WELLS DIES OF BOWEL CANCER AT 47… | |
 John at one of the shooting events with the big smile he was famous for... dubbed John as "Mr Reliable" because of his unreliability whenever it came to keeping an appointment. Rather than be upset by the name, he revelled in it and it stuck – much to his delight! In the early days of the Taxi Driver of the Year Show, John was rarely out of the top 3 places and actually won the title on one occasion. He was a staunch supporter of the show and his by-then famed Mr Reliable act certainly didn’t apply to that. He would never miss the chance to become Taxi Driver of the Year, |
a title he was very proud of. The Show’s Chairman, Russell Poluck (T55) told Call Sign that John would be missed as a really nice guy who was always ready to help anyone. He was also a dispatcher at DaC for many years in addition to being a driver until he sold his taxi last year. Many of DaC’s current Calltakers were extremely upset at hearing the news. "Everyone liked John," DaC’s Gary Gates told Call Sign on behalf of the many on the fourth floor who knew him, "it just doesn’t seem possible that he will never come through the door again." DaC Chairman, Brian Rice, told Call Sign: "There were very few tricks that John didn’t know about, but he was just the most likable person and always ready to make you smile. He will be sadly missed." John often phoned Call Sign to say that he would be back soon and to keep his sponsorship money on hold. Sadly, he never did. We will remember him fondly… RIP John… |
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