Geoff Pemberton

The firm had been founded by his great-grandfather in 1872, and Mr Pemberton joined it in the early 1960s after he had done his National Service, of which he spent 14 months in Hong Kong where he had been commissioned.

Born and brought up in Leeds, he was the elder of two boys, his parents being Jim and Gwen Pemberton.

On his return from Hong Kong, he joined the firm and eventually got married, and his two sons, Christopher and Richard were born.

He became a partner with his father and uncle Edward, and following their uncle’s retirement in 1972, his brother Barry became the third partner.

In the later 1970s, following their father’s retirement, the brothers ran the business between themselves.

They sold it in 1988 to Henry Cooke of Manchester, staying on under the new ownership until 1999 when it changed hands again, and Mr Pemberton retired.

He formed the Horsford Investment Club, and had been chairman of it for the last 25 years, up until his death.

Among his life-long interests was racing; he was a member of the York Racecourse, and with his friend Tim Adams, he became part-owner of horses trained for the Flat by Richard Whitaker of Scarcroft.

Their horses competed mostly on northern race courses, but their most successful horse was Tabaret which raced at Royal Ascot.

Racing, however, vied for his time with shooting and fishing. He shot grouse and pheasant, and a member of West Tanfield Angling Club, he went salmon fishing in Scotland – his preferred rivers being the Tweed and the Spey.

Convivial, and with a wide circle of friends, earlier in his career he joined the Round Table, becoming area chairman; he then joined the 41 Club, and finally the 13 Club, consisting of 13 businessmen who met once a month mostly at The Bridge at Walshford.

At least twice a year he went to Australia to visit his sons – one in Perth and the other in Sydney – and once a year he visited friends in South Africa, and he made occasional trips to meet up with friends in the United States.

Mr Pemberton is survived by his second wife Sue, his brother Barry, his sons Christopher and Richard and six grandchildren, and by his step-children Stevie, Simon and Sally and their six children.