Business London Magazine 'spark plug' mourned after fatal crash

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A stalwart supporter of local business and the managing editor of Business London Magazine, Sarah Jones, was killed in a car crash in south London on Wednesday afternoon.

Jones, 39, leaves behind her husband, son and step-son. She’d been at the helm of Business London Magazine, a monthly publication owned by Postmedia — the parent company of The London Free Press — since 2018.

“The entire Free Press family is devastated. Sarah was not just a spark plug of a personality, but she really brought Business London to life and took it in interesting directions,” Free Press editor-in-chief Joe Ruscitti said.

Colleague and friend Anna Merchant described Jones as a devoted mom, a champion for diversity and “super passionate” about supporting and promoting local businesses across the city.

“If there was a perfect job for Sarah, it was being a part of Business London and trying not only to support local, but facilitate and encourage entrepreneurship within the city. She was super passionate about that,” Merchant said.

Jones pushed for diversity and urged people to have “difficult conversations,” her friend said.

She had just re-branded Business London.

Jones also loved yoga and had taken up running during COVID-19.

Merchant said Jones was a great listener, a positive presence, and someone who always spoke her mind.

“I think that every person who talked to Sarah left feeling so lifted. You could tell Sarah literally anything, no judgment ever, she was the best listener. She offered incredible advice,” Merchant said.

“You left feeling so good. You know those friends, where you leave those conversations, you feel happy. That’s how I felt every time I spoke with Sarah and I know everyone felt the same way.”

Police responded to two fatal car crashes on opposite ends of the city within a half-hour on Wednesday afternoon, including a two-vehicle collision at Ilderton Road and Adelaide Street that killed one person and sent two others to hospital with serious injuries.

Jones died after a crash with a transport truck, which rolled into the ditch on Bradley Avenue near Jackson Road.