Joyce Koons Honda, a leading Manassas Honda dealership, was founded by John and Eleanor Koons. John
grew up on a farm in Leesburg, VA, and after breaking his neck in a
swimming accident at age 18, the left side of his body was paralyzed.
With treatment, he was able to walk again.
In 1939, a year after the accident, he was hired as a salesperson
at a DeSoto-Plymouth outlet in Falls Church. Two years after that, he
became the owner. He bought the store for $350, part of which he had
saved—the rest of which he had borrowed from Eleanor Ayres, a
school teacher whom he later married.
Eleanor and John purchased Prince Pontiac in 1954, which later
became Koons of Manassas and then Joyce Koons Honda, which is now a
premier Honda dealer serving Fairfax.
Eleanor and John were active in a wide range of education, civic
and charitable endeavors. They helped found the first Catholic high
school in northern Virginia; a center for children with cerebral
palsy; and a cardiac care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital. John was a
charter member and life director of the Cerebral Palsy Center and an
honorary director of the Boys Club of Greater Washington, DC. He was
also a member of the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Department.
Today, Joyce Koons Honda is owned by Eleanor and John's daughter,
Joyce Koons, and is one of the top Northern Virginia Honda dealerships. She carries on the Koons family's
commitment to customer satisfaction and community service. Koons of
Manassas continues to support organizations that help children and
families, like SPARK (the education foundation for Prince William
County Public Schools, Journey4aCure,
and The Breast Cancer ResearchFoundation.
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