Geoffrey Rushton

GEOFFREY RUSHTON, 92, of Jacksonville died Friday, Feb. 17, 2017 surrounded by his daughter and son-in-law. He was born Oct. 25, 1924 in Harwood, Lancaster, England to the late Leonard W. and Maggie Haworth Rushton. Mr. Rushton served in the British Royal Navy as a signalman on an aircraft carrier during World War II. Mr. Rushton moved to the U.S. in 1960 and was a supervisor at Sheaffer-Eaton Paper Company. He became a member of the Crescent-Pittsfield Masonic Lodge in Pittsfield, Mass., and was a Master Mason for almost 50 years. He retired in 1986 and moved to Majorca, Spain for two years and then to Jacksonville. He had a passion for carpentry and enjoyed renovating houses and building cabinetry. He built toys at Christmas and donated them to charity for children to enjoy for years to come. Mr. Rushton had an affection for animals and almost always had pets and until recently, he enjoyed bowling. In addition to his parents, Mr. Rushton was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce Louisa Rushton in 1995 and his daughter, Vivienne Fallon in 2003. Mr. Rushton is survived by his daughter, Lesley Rushton and her husband, Ian Reeson of Jacksonville; brother, John Rushton and sister, Vera Malster, both of the United Kingdom; nephews, Phillip Rushton of the U.K., Nicholas Rushton of Canada and Brian Clews of Spain and a former son-in-law, William Fallon of Sherwood. In accordance with Mr. Rushton's wishes, memorial gifts should be made in his name to the Jacksonville Animal Shelter. Following cremation, a time of visitation will be from 6-8 p.m., Thursday, March 2, 2017 at Moore's Jacksonville Funeral Home (501) 982-2136. Please sign the online guestbook at www.mooresjacksonvillefuneralhome.com.