Family, friends and former colleagues descended on Southend-on-Sea in Essex yesterday for the funeral of renowned photographic scientist Geoffrey Crawley.

Paying tribute, Reverend Phil Wright recounted how Geoffrey?s love of photography combined with his passion for music, cricket and a motor cruiser called Kanita.

He also relayed Geoffrey?s enthusiasm for gadgets of every type – strewn around his house in Westcliff-on-Sea between rooms dedicated to testing various types of photographic equipment.

Among Geoffrey?s toys was a ?microwave egg scrambler?, though apparently it never worked that well.

Pieces of music chosen for the service were among Geoffrey?s favourites. These included music by Bach and the 5th Movement of Beethoven?s Symphony No.6.

The photographic contingent paying their last respects at Southend Crematorium included: Graham Armitage, general manager of Sigma Imaging UK, former Amateur Photographer (AP) Editor Garry Coward-Williams, former AP technical editor Angela Nicholson, Jamie Harrison, a former technical editor of What Digital Camera and a past AP technical writer, and AP?s news editor Chris Cheesman.

Current AP Editor Damien Demolder was overseas and unable to attend.

Geoffrey, who worked as AP?s photo-science consultant, died on 29 October, aged 83.

The family requested that any donations in Geoffrey?s name be sent to Macmillan Cancer Support, c/o Co-operative Funeral Care, 15 Queensway, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6JJ. Tel: 01702 342647.

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