TRIBUTES have been paid to a mother and shopkeeper from Andover who has died after battling with chronic kidney disease for four years. 

Jyotika Amin, who had been living in Andover since 1983, died on Tuesday, September 6, aged 65.

Jo, as she was known, and her husband Ken Amin have been running The Paper Shop in town since 1986.

“She was a person who got on with everyone,” Ken told the Advertiser.

“She was always very calm, although I am a bit short-tempered. She has never had any argument with anyone. If I ever start arguing with anyone, she would always ask me to stop.”

Originally from Gujarat in India, ancestors of both Ken and Jo had migrated to Kenya in the early 1900s and then to England in the 1960s.

Ken first moved to Andover in 1972 when his dad was transferred to the town from London. Later Ken went back to London where he met Jo and married her. They were married for 42 years.

Andover Advertiser: An old photo of Jo AminAn old photo of Jo Amin (Image: Newsquest)

The couple moved to Andover because Ken wanted to “go back home”.

“Together we opened The Paper Shop in Union Street in 1986,” he said.

“But eventually Union Street was taken over by a lot of takeaways and fast food chains. So, people stopped coming up to the top of the street. So, we moved down to George Yard where there is a good flow of people because of the car park.”

Both Ken and Jo have been facing health issues for the past four to five years after they were diagnosed with chronic kidney disease.

Both have been going to Salisbury hospital three times a week on alternate days for dialysis since then – Ken on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Jo on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

“My wife with all our illnesses, she still used to insist that we go to the shop for two to three hours on our days off. I would do a little bit of paperwork and she would talk to the customers.

“She had some sort of purpose to get up and get ready and get going. Otherwise, I know she used to be very tired with the dialysis. She found it extremely hard. You do dialysis for four hours, you're sitting there in one place, and it just drains you down. When you come home, you're like a sack of potatoes.”

Since her death, Ken has had many customers visiting the shop to share how wonderful Jo was as a person.

“Jo enjoyed coming to the shop. But lately she was getting more tired, and she used to have a lot of breathing problems," he said. 

Although a vegetarian throughout her life, Jo used to cook chicken curry for Ken and their son.

Manuela Wahnon, Advertiser columnist and Andover campaigner, said Jo was “simply a light of quiet dignity and generosity”.

“Because of her shy, timid and quiet nature more people did not know of her, which essentially is a tragedy as so many could have benefited from knowing her. Her charismatic quiet ways always left me humbled and grateful.”

Jo’s funeral will be held at Charlton crematorium at 11am on Saturday, September 17.