Geoffrey Thomas Critten (15 Feb 1941 - 3 Jul 2025)

What to you is the definition of a life well lived ?

Someone who has reached the pinnacle of their chosen career,
someone who has played sport to a high level throughout their
entire life ?

Perhaps it’s knowing that people can depend on you and that
you’re always there for them or possibly it’s being respected by
everyone who has the good fortune to cross your path.
Or maybe, just maybe it’s being surrounded by the love of your
family, from your children, grandchildren, siblings and a devoted
wife.

Whichever your own personal definition may be, Geoff who we
come here today to celebrate achieved all of these things and more
in what can only be described as a fulfilling, meaningful and rich
life.

The second of five brothers to parents, Herbert and Emma, Geoff
was born in Norwich in February 1941.

He attended Sprowston Junior School and at the age of 11 came
the first sign of his determination to succeed in life. Along with a
friend and with no great expectations they filled in a form and
together applied for a place at Wymondham College, just outside
of Norwich. A grammar school for academically gifted children
Geoff knew that no one from Class B, for that’s what he was in,
had ever been accepted at the college before and so was
astonished when his application was approved.

For the next 7 years he boarded at the college, sleeping in the old
style nissen huts, Geoff excelled leaving not only with with A
levels to his name but also with a bright future ahead.
That future improved enormously on the 8th June 1963, when at
the age of 22 and now working in the advertising department at
the local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, Geoff attended at the
wedding of his brother Barry to Christine.

Christine’s sister, Rita was also at the wedding and it didn’t take
long before they met and Geoff was asking her out on a date to the
pictures. This put Rita in a rather difficult position as she already
had a boyfriend and so advice was sought from her father as to
what she should do. The sound guidance came back that she
should go out with whoever came round to the house first.
Thankfully that happened to be Geoff and that’s where their
whirlwind romance began. Just a year later, on the 27 June 1964
they were married at St Mary’s and St Margaret’s Church in
Sprowston. A honeymoon followed in beautiful Margate in Kent
and then married life began.

They both worked long hard hours to make ends meet and at the
age of 25 Geoff decided to have a change of career and began
work as a bank clerk with the Norwich Building Society on the
princely annual wage of £700.

It was not long before he progressed to being a mortgage advisor
and as the Building Society merged and morphed into the new
Norwich and Peterborough Building Society Geoff’s career
continued to flourish.

Meanwhile back at home, daughter Helen and son David came
along and in 1977 they were to move to their forever home, 54
Cozens Hardy Road in Sprowston, next door to his brother Dick.
I think it’s fair to say Geoff was a very active person with the two
great sporting loves of his life being football and table tennis.
With four brothers to play football with, Barry, Dick, Michael and
Steve he could play either up front as centre forward or in the
middle of defence.

Playing at a high level too, first for Sprowston Athletic, and then
for the newly formed Sprowston Wanderers, a team helped set up
by his brother Dick.

Geoff enjoyed success with Wanderers, first in the 1966/1967
season beating Ashby 7-2 in the Norfolk Primary Cup Final and
then a few years later in the 1971/1972 season by triumphing over
Town Hall 2-1 in the Norfolk Junior Cup Final.

Both finals being played at Carrow Road, the home of his beloved
Norwich City. A real highlight in his footballing journey.
But the ultimate sporting pleasure for Geoff was not only playing
football in the same side as three of his brothers but also for over
ten seasons alongside his son David.
The pride he felt must have been immense.

Not retiring from the beautiful game until he was aged 55, Geoff
then turned to running to maintain his fitness and would jog at
least four or five miles every evening. A habit he kept up well into
his 70’s.

But not only did he play football, he loved watching it too.
A Norwich City supporter all of his life he held a season ticket at
Carrow Road for over 40 years rarely missing a home game in all
that time.

He would take his children Helen and David with him and as they
grew older he would then take Helen’s children, Emma and
Thomas. Indeed, in the 2012/2013 season Geoff and Emma
attended every Norwich City home and away game that season
resulting in Emma winning a trophy for being the Norwich City
junior supporter of the year.

Latterly, and being a wiley old man, on match days Geoff would
drive into Norwich as early as eight o’clock in the morning and
secure himself a free parking space as close to the football ground
as he could find. Having been followed there by daughter Helen
she would bring him home and then take him back down later in
the day. When the match finished Geoff would then walk to his
closely parked car and drive home having paid no expensive
parking fees.

As the saying goes, it’s no good getting older if you don’t get
wiser, and Geoff was a very wise man.

As previously mentioned, his other great sporting love was table
tennis.
Playing in the Norwich and District Table Tennis league for many
years and at one time being the number one player in Norfolk it
was handy then that there was a table tennis table situated in the
top office of the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society
branch from where he was working in the city.

Still playing up until recent times, at the age of 82 he had not lost
any of his skill or passion for the game when he beat the third
ranked player in the county. A truly remarkable sportsman.
From sport, special relationships are formed and from table tennis
a fellow player turned into a very close friend indeed and Geoff
and Bob remained great friends for many years.

A great family man, he taught Helen and David how to swim at
the Phoenix swimming pool in Bradwell and at the open air pool
in Gorleston. Always followed of course by jam sandwiches.
Never going abroad, family holidays were enjoyed in Weymouth,
North Wales and Blackpool. David recalling how whilst in
Blackpool and without a reservation they would visit endless Bed
and Breakfast holiday accommodations to find who was offering
the best deal on the day.

Geoff idolised his grandchildren, Emma, Thomas and Blue and
being the sort of man he was, proud, loyal and amazingly helpful
to anyone and everyone, it’s no surprise that he would regularly
take his grandchildren to school including driving Blue to her
school in Salhouse every day for five years.

Back now to work and Geoffs career continued to prosper at the
Building Society. Working his way to the very top of the tree he
became the area manager and responsible for all the Norwich and
Peterborough branches in East Anglia. Inevitably he and Rita had
to relocate to Peterborough in the late 1980’s whilst Geoff worked
at the head office of the company. They lived in a flat during the
week and commuted back to their home in Sprowston every
weekend with teenagers Helen and David looking after the
property. Obviously a very trusting man.

It was during this time that Geoff was responsible for setting up
the very first on line banking system. Not many people understood
how this newfangled system worked and so after five years of
working in Peterborough and on the first day of his well earned
retirement and now back living in Sprowston it came as no
surprise when the phone rang with the Building Society asking
Geoff to return in order to train the staff on the system that he had
helped design.

Never being one to miss an opportunity Geoff negotiated himself a
good deal, including a new company car and carried on working
for a further six months.

Geoff had an amazing energy throughout life and there was no
way he was going to just sit about after retirement and so he
turned his attention to the on line auction site that is E.Bay.
He registered himself with the company as a business and each
week he would trawl local car boot sales to buy items to then
resell. He was totally computer literate and used his skills to great
advantage.

However, Geoff was an incredibly private person, extremely proud
and hated any fuss. He enjoyed the simple pleasures in life
including walking his three legged black rescue dog, Tarquin
every evening. Starting the walk by cutting through brother Dick’s
rear garden before heading out through his driveway and onto
Cozens Hardy Road.

His palate too was a simple one. He rarely drank alcohol and if he
did it would be just half a shandy. He didn’t really like anything
that had flavour in it and onions were a definite no go. His daily
eating habits would generally follow the same format of toast for
breakfast, jam rolls for lunch and fish and chips for tea. Nothing
wrong with that, that’s for sure. Rarely eating out, himself and
Rita would occasionally treat themselves to an early morning meal
at Morrisons on Riverside in Norwich taking advantage of their
two for one breakfast deal.

Geoff loved being at home.
Alongside his devoted wife of 61 years, Rita they would enjoy
watching television together, Geoff enduring countless episodes of
the gameshow Tipping Point as it was one of Rita’s favourites.

At his happiest when watching football on television he would
occasionally venture out to his rear garden where he would tease
the local stray cats with a bamboo cane attached to a bit of string
with a small toy on the end.

Geoff was the sort of man you could trust. A proud, loyal and
hugely respected man. Adored by his children and grandchildren
with that adoration being reciprocated in spades. He could often
be heard singing to his grandchildren in the kitchen, his favourite
song for them being “My old man’s a dustman” by Lonnie
Donegan.

A true gentleman, liked by everyone who met him and loved by
everyone who knew him.

Whatever your definition of a life well lived may be I believe that
Geoff’s life would be the epitome of that definition.
He certainly had an amazing life, active throughout and
surrounded by a loving family. What more could anyone wish for?