Family’s tributes as town waves goodbye to its ‘Mr Berkhamsted’

The family of a man dubbed ‘Mr Berkhamsted’ have paid tribute to him following his death, saying he ‘would do anything to help anyone’.
Geoff Dell with his youngest granddaughter Emily as a babyGeoff Dell with his youngest granddaughter Emily as a baby
Geoff Dell with his youngest granddaughter Emily as a baby

Geoffrey Dell, managing director of Berkhamsted-based removals company S. Dell & Sons, died last month at the age of 83.

More than 400 people turned out to give the community stalwart a good send off at his funeral at St Peter’s Church and his family say he will be greatly missed.

Mr Dell’s wife Carole said: “He was a very generous man, and he would never say no to charity. He would help out at Pepper every year and always give his time to people who needed it.”

Geoff Dell, of S. Dell & Sons in BerkhamstedGeoff Dell, of S. Dell & Sons in Berkhamsted
Geoff Dell, of S. Dell & Sons in Berkhamsted

Mr Dell was a familiar face at the Petertide Fair, the town’s marathon, and the 
annual fireworks display.

The father-of-four was a president of the local branch of St John’s Ambulance as well as a member of the Rotary and Round Table clubs.

His grandson Christopher, who owns High Street homeware shop White Mint, said: “He would always sign us up to charity events before telling us, then we would all be roped in to help. But first and foremost he was a family man.”

The firm started from humble beginnings in the early 1900s, with Geoff’s father Sydney delivering eggs and milk using his horse and cart.

Today, it is a thriving company which employs 13 staff members and is still very-much a family-run business.

Mr Dell, who has 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, took on the managing director’s role more than three decades ago.

The family say he even popped into the office the week before he died and 
insisted on wearing a suit ‘until the end’.

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