Tag: Betty Wold Johnson

Jets to honor Betty Wold Johnson with commemorative patch in 2020

The Jets will be honoring Betty Wold Johnson, late mother of owners Woody and Christopher, with a commemorative patch for the 2020 season.

The Jets will honor Betty Wold Johnson, the late mother of owners Woody and Christopher, with a commemorative “BWJ” patch that will be on the team’s jerseys this season.

Johnson died at the age of 99 in early May. 

The matriarch of the Johnson family, she was a known philanthropist and long-time contributor to arts, education and healthcare initiatives throughout the New York and New Jersey area, according to the team’s release.

“She was definitely the First Lady of the Jets,” former running back Curtis Martin said. “She had such a presence there. And as far as the players being like grandchildren to her, I can definitely see that because she was such a warm person. She had a personal interest rooting for the Jets, but just her energy, she had a younger person’s energy. And she was just very approachable to everyone who met her. I just loved her as a human being.”

When the Jets take the field Sunday, they will be among five teams that will be wearing commemorative patches this season.

Giants release statement on passing of Betty Wold Johnson

The New York Giants released a brief statement on the passing of Betty Wold Johnson, mother of New York Jets owners, Christopher and Woody.

The New York Jets lost the matriarch of their family on their Friday night as Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of team owners Christopher Johnson and Woody Johnson, passed away at the age of 99.

Betty was often referred to as “The First Lady of the Jets” by players, all of whom she called her “grandchildren.”

“When I think of her, I think of her as ‘The First Lady of the Jets,'” former quarterback Chad Pennington said, via the team’s website. “I think of Ms. Johnson as nothing but first class with how she treated people, how she carried herself and how she represented herself and her family.”

Shortly after the Jets announced Betty’s passing, the New York Giants released a short statement on social media expressing their condolences.

Woody purchased the Jets in 2000 and they immediately became a big part of Betty’s life.

However, long before Betty became involved with the Jets, she enlisted in the Navy’s WAVE following the attack on Pearl Harbor. She was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas and also helped train fighter pilots in simulators at Rhode Island’s Naval Air Station.

Like the Giants, we offer our condolences to the entire Jets family.

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Betty Wold Johnson, mother of Jets owners Woody and Christopher, dead at 99

Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Woody and Christopher, has died at the age of 99.

Betty Wold Johnson, the mother of Jets owners Woody and Christopher, has died at the age of 99. The team announced her passing on Friday but did not specify a date or cause of death.

Johnson “was a renown philanthropist and long-time contributor to arts, education and healthcare initiatives throughout the New Jersey and New York regions,” per the Jets’ obituary. She was described as “a staunch supporter of her sons and their passions” who “used to refer to Jets players as her grandchildren.”

“There are very few people in this world who live to 99,” said former Jets RB Curtis Martin. “And I’m sure if you go back and look at everything she did for other people, you could probably write a book on her from a philanthropic standpoint… She had such a charitable heart and a charitable way about her.”

Per the team’s release, Johnson grew up in Minnesota, where she attended Golden Gophers games with her father. She married Robert Wood Johnson, who died in 1970. The couple had five children together, including Woody and Christopher.