Roselyn Coaches in Par keeps Jonathan Ede on every mile

Look twice at the next pale green Roselyn coach that passes you on a Cornish road. Along one side, drawn in fine green lines, is the smiling face of the man who ran the company for more than three decades.

Jonathan Ede, managing director of Roselyn Coaches, died suddenly in July. Three months on, his family has had one of the fleet finished in a memorial livery, so that he keeps travelling with the business he gave his working life to.

📷The memorial livery for Jonathan Ede. Credit: Roselyn Coaches

A portrait in Roselyn green

The design sits beneath the familiar “Roselyn of Cornwall & Devon” lettering. A detailed sketch of Jonathan, drawn in the company’s dark green, fills the side panels between the wheels. Beside it are the words “In loving memory of Jonathan Peter Ede, 1965 – 2026”.

Further along, a line chosen for a coach firm runs across the side: “Those we love never truly leave us, they travel with us in every mile.”

📷Jonathan Ede's family with the memorial coach. Credit: Roselyn Coaches

Why his family wanted it

Sharing the coach on the company’s Facebook page, a member of Jonathan’s family wrote that the family had lost him “suddenly and unexpectedly”, and that “life has never been the same since”.

“Not long after losing him, I knew I wanted to do something special to honour him and keep his memory alive within the family business that meant so much to him,” the post said. “It’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since we lost him, and I’m so pleased that we’ve finally made it happen.

“Dad gave so much to this business, and as we continue to move forward without him, it’s important to me that his presence and legacy remain a part of everything we do.”

📷Jonathan Ede's family with the memorial coach. Credit: Roselyn Coaches

More than 30 years running the family firm

Roselyn has been in the Ede family since 1947, when Jonathan’s grandfather, Leslie James Ede, founded it. It runs from Middleway Garage in Par and now trades as Roselyn of Cornwall & Devon.

Jonathan took charge in 1992, running the business with other members of the family after the sudden death of his father, Bryan. When the others retired or moved on in 2011, he became sole managing director, according to the company’s website. His wife, Marie, is a director, and the site notes she joined Roselyn more than 40 years ago in a job that was only meant to last six months.

In its tribute in July, the company said Jonathan spent his final moments working alongside family and friends. He had been looking forward to retiring later this year to spend more time with Marie and their grandchildren.

It was Jonathan who oversaw a refresh of the fleet’s look in 2024, keeping the firm’s well-known green. At the time he joked to the trade press that the only poor review had come from his mother. That same green now carries his face.

“I just hope that wherever he is, he can see it, knows how much he is loved and missed and is looking down with a smile.”

📷The Roselyn coach in its memorial livery for Jonathan Ede. Credit: Roselyn Coaches