Obituary: Sudden death of former Falkirk Maniqui owner Bill Johnston

William Johnston, best known as Bill, was the grandson of Johnny Doak, who in 1933 built and opened Doak’s Dance Academy and Ballroom next to the then bus station in Meadow Street.

Sadly, Bill passed away in his home in Wallacestone on Sunday, December 10. He was 78.

Doak’s ballroom was an institution in the Falkirk area and was the starting point for many a romance and future marriage.

In 1958, Bill’s parents, Jessie and Bill Johnston, brought him and his brother David and sister Sheila back from Canada to take over running the family business.

What many people perhaps don’t know was that there was also living accommodation at the ballroom and the family lived there for a time.

A decade later the siblings would take over the running of what was one of central Scotland’s most popular night-time venues and changed the name to the one it is best-known as by today’s generation, the Maniqui.

Over the years, as they kept the business up with the changing times in the hospitality industry, it had several different incarnations, including Oil Can Harry’s and Storm, but they always returned to the Maniqui as it seemed to be the one the customers preferred.

The brothers eventually decided it was time to take a back seat and in 2020 sold the Maniqui to its current owners.

While dancing was in the blood with Jessie and later son David running ballroom classes, Bill was always reluctant to take to the dance floor. But his family recalled him saying this was mainly down to his mother making him stand in for any missing female dance partners.

But like his brother and sister, Bill was an accomplished water skier: all three regularly practised at the Black Loch and were members of the Scottish team. The highlight of Bill’s time in the sport was when he became the British slalom champion.

Before his return from Canada, Bill also played for the Leaside baseball team.

He was also an avid winter sports fan, loving to ski, and such was his skill he became a qualified ski instructor. He liked nothing better than when the Johnston clan used to all go off on a ski holiday together.

Bill, who was predeceased by sister Sheila, is survived by sons Greg, Barry and Ross, brother David and long-term partner Teresa Hunter. He was also a proud grandfather of grandsons Liam and Brodie and granddaughters Isla and Quinn.

Details of his funeral have still to be finalised.