A much-loved great grandfather ‘Gerry the Fish’ is being mourned after passing away earlier this month, weeks after family business closed its shutters on 56 years of trading.
Gerald Doughty, the former owner of the now closed Gerrys of Wimbledon, passed away peacefully on Monday May 9.
He will be sadly missed by wife Gwen, daughter Lynette and son Clive, as well as five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Gerald and Gwen first opened Gerry’s as a model aircraft retailer in 1960 before transitioning to angling.
The business soon took off in Wimbledon, and with the family serving generations of fishing fans from the area.
It was later taken over by his son Clive, 59, who began work on The Broadway store in 1973.
“Someone came in and said, ‘my granddad bought my dad in and brought him his first rod, my dad bought me in and brought me my first rod and I’ve bought my son in and brought him his first rod,” he said.
“My mum used to say ‘I can remember them coming in as kids and then they come in with a pushchair with their children.”
The business recently closed its shutters for the last time after 56 years of trade, with a furniture business renting the property from March.
