Wife's tribute to 'dedicated' husband and former councillor (From Watford Observer)

Jenny Emery pays tribute to her husband Geoff, a former Abbots Langley councillor from Bedmond

1:30pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By Rebecca Perring, Reporter

The wife of an active member of the Bedmond community and a former Abbots Langley councillor has paid tribute to her dedicated, kind and hard working husband.

Geoff Emery died unexpectedly from heart disease on Saturday, December 15 and his funeral was held in the West Herts Crematorium on Thursday, December 27 at the age of 80.

After retiring from the machine and tool industry in 1996, Mr Emery threw himself in to the local community and was a keen campaigner behind building a new millennium village hall in Bedmond.

Soon after, Mr Emery was approached by the Liberal Democratic Party to stand as a district councillor in 1998. His wife, Jenny, whom he married in 1959, remembers it fondly.

She said: "Geoff wasn’t into politics at all however he cared about his local community and wanted to do some good.

"He would talk to anyone and didn’t mind speaking in front of people. He thoroughly enjoyed being a councillor and loved throwing himself in to everything. "

Abbots Langley Councillor Sara Bedford, who originally asked Geoff to stand as a Liberal Democrat councillor,said: "Geoff served as a councillor for thirteen years. He was a popular and hard working councillor, who spoke up for Bedmond.

"I could always rely on Geoff's advice to be well thought through and to capture the views of local residents. He was a wonderful man, and a father-figure to me.

"I will miss him very much."

Mr and Mrs Emery met at a square dance in Bedford and later moved to High Street, Bedmond, where they lived together for 32 years.

Mrs Emery, 78, said: "Some 50 years ago, square dances were all the rage."

They went on to have two children, Elaine, who is 50 and Michael who is 48 and share two grandsons David and Robert.

Mr Emery was elected as chairman of Three Rivers District Council between 2005 and 2006, and Mrs Emery said her husband was chuffed and honoured to take up the role.

However after developing cataracts, Mr Emery made the difficult decision to retire from council in April 2011.

Not one to sit around however, Mr Emery was keen to have input in his local community and became an Abbots Langley parish councillor as soon as he retired.

His health then started to deteriorate, after he developed Parkinson’s disease, so he decided to step down from his role and became a press officer for Parkinson’s UK, West Herts branch.

Mrs Emery said: "Geoff liked to keep busy. He was always thinking up new ideas and decided to work for Parkinson’s UK because it was something he knew all so well."

Floods of well-wishers have sent in cards and Mrs Emery says he would be thrilled at all the attention.

Mrs Emery said: "Geoff was very organised and when he took something on, he did his best to complete them. He always thought things through and had a plan all the time.

"He was a dedicated, kind and generous husband who had a quite a good sense of humour."

She added, Mr Emery, had been keen to see a rocking horse installed in the play area at Bedmond Sports and Social Club before he died.

However his plans were never put through by the council. Mrs Emery said: "Geoff was always going on about a rocking horse for the children to play on - so much it was brought up at his funeral.

"The parish council chairman said he would look in to it. So you never know?"