Leni and Marg's lifelong Euro dream ends in heartbreaking Greek tragedy - as the two Aussie mums are killed in a car crash on isle of Lesbos

By KARLEIGH SMITH - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:10, 22 July 2026 | Updated: 01:24, 22 July 2026 An Australian couple who achieved their lifelong dream of moving to a Greek holiday isle have been killed in a car crash. Leni and Marguerite Johnson died on July 15, after their tiny Chinese-made EV smashed into a lamppost pole on the isle of Lesbos, 260km north-east of Athens. Local media said the two women were killed when the vehicle 'overturned under unclear circumstances into a nearby electric lighting column'. 'One woman died on the spot, the second during her transfer to the hospital,' Greek broadcaster ERT News reported. Footage showed the smashed orange Jiayuan Eidola EV on the road connecting the coastal village of Panagiouda with the inland town of Moria. The picturesque rural route winds through olive groves but is notorious for its challenging driving conditions.  Two teenage local boys died in a car accident in the same location in May. Leni and Marguerite's devastated children, daughter Kate - who had recently moved to Athens to study and be closer to her mothers - and son, Sydney-based Jackson, have raced to Lesbos. Marguerite (left) and Leni Johnson died in Greece, where they lived on the island of Lesbos The couple were doting parents to daughter Kate and son Jackson, as well as three chihuahuas A local news outlet shared an image of a car wreck in Lesbos on Wednesday last week The Daily Mail has spoken with Kate, who declined to be interviewed on Monday as she came to terms with her loss. But a GoFundMe launched by family friend Edyn Chapman on Sunday confirmed with 'unimaginable heartbreak' that the couple died in the accident on Wednesday. 'Leni and Marg had worked their whole lives to build the retirement they had always dreamed of,' said Ms Chapman, who is with Kate and Jackson in Lesbos. 'They moved to Greece with their three beloved chihuahuas to live their fairytale embracing the sunshine, the slower pace of life, and a community they quickly came to love.  'They were truly living the dream they had worked so hard for.' Before retirement, Marguerite was a professor of classics at Newcastle University in New South Wales, where she was a much-loved faculty member.  She specialised in sexuality and gender, and particularly in the works of Sappho, an ancient Greek poet who wrote of love and relationships between women. Sappho lived on Lesbos between 630 and 570BC, and her poems inspired the modern root words for lesbian and sapphic - a term for woman-to-woman attraction. It was Newcastle couple Leni and Marg's lifelong dream to move to Lesbos Marg, a professor of classics at Newcastle University, was said to have a 'calming presence' The couple had recently retired in Lesbos, with daughter Kate also moving to Athens Marguerite's academic work studying Sappho, as a cultural historian of the ancient Mediterranean, is understood to have inspired her lifelong dream of living in Lesbos.  The couple also shared a close bond with their children, Ms Chapman revealed.  'Kate followed them to Greece to continue her studies, taking her beloved sausage dog with her so she could be close to her parents,' she said. 'In an instant, both Kate and Jack have been faced with the unimaginable loss of their two mums.' The GoFundMe described Leni as 'a beautiful, outspoken, incredibly strong woman who had lived a life full of experience'.  'She was fiercely loyal, generous beyond measure, and would do absolutely anything for the people she loved.  'She embraced her new life in Greece wholeheartedly and spoke often about how happy she was to be living the life she and Marg had always dreamed of.' Marg, meanwhile, was described as having 'the most calming presence'.  Leni, pictured with Kate, recently spoke of living the life she and Marg had always dreamed of  A GoFundMe has been organised by family friend Edyn Chapman to help with expenses The couple had moved from Newcastle to Lesbos with their dogs 'No matter what you were worried about, she always had an answer, a story, or one of her famous old wives' tales to help with an illness, a pain, or even an itch.  'She had a way of making everything feel just that little bit lighter. Her wisdom, kindness and gentle reassurance made everyone around her feel safe.' Newcastle-based Ms Chapman, who boarded the first flight available to Greece to support Kate and Jackson, said: 'Together, Leni and Marg had a rare gift.  'They made everyone feel welcome. They were the kind of people who wrapped you in warmth the moment you met them.  'You always left their table smiling, feeling cared for, and somehow a little wiser after every conversation. Their kindness, humour and generosity touched so many lives, and their absence will be felt deeply by everyone who knew them.' She said 'no amount of money' could ever replace Leni and Marg, but that she hoped the GoFundMe would help ease the 'enormous financial burden' now facing Kate and Jackson.  On Tuesday, almost $22,000 of a $26,000 target had been raised.  'Donations will help with urgent travel, accommodation, funeral and memorial expenses, legal and administrative costs, and the many unexpected expenses that come with losing loved ones overseas,' Ms Chapman said. 'Most importantly, it will give Kate and Jack the time and space to grieve without the added pressure of immediate financial stress.'