A SERVICE of thanksgiving will take place next week for a director of a well-known West Somerset funeral directors, Geoff Grandfield, who has died aged 90.

The service will be held at 12 noon on Wednesday in the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey.

Mr Grandfield, who was born in 1932, was the fourth generation of his family to run the independent Grandfield and Son, in Nether Stowey.

Now, the business is run by a fifth generation of the family, his daughter Sarah.

Mourners at next week’s service are being asked to give donations in lieu of flowers for The Friends of Quantock Medical Centre, which provided ‘outstanding care’ for Mr Grandfield in his final years.

The late Geoff Grandfield at the wedding of Sarah Grandfield to Dan Butson - Nether Stowey - 26May07
The late Geoff Grandfield. (Kit Houghton)

Mr Grandfield was a keen sportsman and was also a vice-president of Somerset County Cricket Club.

The business started in the 1890s when Thomas Grandfield was working as a blacksmith and wagon maker in Over Stowey, which led to him doing more general woodworking and carpentry.

As was often the case in those days, the carpenter who made the coffins was also the village funeral director.

The business passed to his son George Grandfield, and on George’s death it went to his son Harold George Grandfield.

In 1930, when the Quantock Estate was sold, seven acres of the current site was purchased in Keenthorne, Nether Stowey, and the business continued as wheelwrights, carpenters, and funeral directors.

Geoffrey Grandfield worked with his father for three decades, with a short break for National Service.

He took over the business on Harold’s retirement, although Harold continued to work in the business until his death.

Geoff expanded both the carpentry and joinery side of the business and built a purpose-made funeral offices and chapels of rest.

Now, fifth generation Sarah Grandfield is running the funeral directors side of the business after many years working alongside her father Geoff, who remained available to offer support and advice in his retirement, continuing the tradition of passing on skills from one generation to the next.

Sarah said: “We now find ourselves in the privileged position to be working with the fifth, sixth, and seventh generations of families whom we first served in the early 20th century.

“Over 100 years later, we are still operating both businesses, the carpentry and joinery and the funeral directors.

“While we do not now manufacture coffins, the businesses still compliment one another well.”