George Davis passed away on December 12 after a short stay in hospital.
The Davis family has been trading in Bexhill since 1875, when F Davis & Co was set up in London Road.
George’s son Richard said: “Dad was known within the family as Dicky, which actually came from his infant days, as he would sleep with one eye open and was named accordingly Dead-Eyed Dick, although his birth name was George William Frank Davis.
“His nan had 11 or 12 sisters and one brother and the family travelled along the south coast up to south London. All the women stopped off in numerous towns along the coast and opened yards, dealing in scrap metal, rags, glass bottles, and even sometimes gold false teeth. Dad didn’t want to be evacuated in the war and managed to stay with his family.
“Being the local scrap metal merchants, Dad would go out on the horse and cart with his dad during the war looking for any little gems that might be strewed across the town dropped from the planes above.
“The scrap yard has always been in our family from 1875 and handed down through the generations from father to son, up until the present day where my eldest son Riley and I are holding up the family tradition. The original firm name of our family business was F Davis & Co. It wasn’t until I left school in 1988 that my brother Gary and I started our partnership G & R Metals but still running from the same yard and alongside F Davis & Co as the parent company and still to this day.
“Unfortunately my brother Gary was taken to the Conquest on Christmas Day 2020 and sadly died at home in January 2021 with his family at his bedside.
“Dad was such a strong well-known figure. He was the head of a large family and will be sorely missed by everyone.”
George’s son Richard said: “Dad was known within the family as Dicky, which actually came from his infant days, as he would sleep with one eye open and was named accordingly Dead-Eyed Dick, although his birth name was George William Frank Davis.
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George's funeral was held on January 13 SUS-220120-121243001