My Tribute to my friend and neighbour Justin

29th November 2025

Howard Worsley

 

I stand here to give tribute to my friend and neighbour Justin Collis.

My favourite memory of Justin is not the times he helped me push my trailer boat under the shelter at the end of our garden, nor the many street parties that he and Clare have organised over the years to celebrate VE day or a royal birthday, it’s the day he joined me in attempting to get rid of a wasp’s nest. The wasps had been proliferating one summer and the children identified that they were all coming from a large nest hanging from a tree in our garden that overlooked the street. Justin’s strategy was simply to attack the nest straightaway with a saw, mine, was to be more cautious and to approach the nest with an axe but donned in a  motorcycle helmet and gloves. The minute Justin lifted his saw, he was attacked by a wasp….one flew straight out and stung him in the face and he rushed down the street clutching his neck. I too was attacked but without damage thanks to the bike gear. Once Justin had recovered, we gathered to discuss our strategy and ended up lighting a fire under the nest and smoking them out. We subsequently sat down and celebrated the event by polishing off a bottle of Laphroaig. This was a man being a good friend by helping a neighbour and having fun.

Justin left school and became the 3rd generation of quarrymen from his family.

During his quarrying career he travelled all over the country but mainly in the Midlands before spending a couple of year on the Isle of Wight and eventually moving back to Shepton.

Justin and Claire met through mutual friends in 1998 but it wasn’t until 4 years later when Justin moved back to the area that their relationship began properly and they were married in 2006. Georgina arrived in 2009 and Henry and Harriet in 2010.

Justin had a very strong work ethic and  began working for Len Baker in his shop in Shepton at the age of 14yrs old, where he was introduced to the world of shooting and enjoyed going beating.  Growing up, Justin was an active BMXer and won lots of medals. He was also an Air Cadet. He enjoyed many school holidays visiting Penny and Art in Plymouth and holidaying with his Nan.

Alongside Claire, Justin went on to become a community first responder for a number of years.

After Justin was made redundant and left quarrying, he left his voluntary role as a community responder and took up a paid employment with South west country ambulance service, a job he did for 10 years before returning to the quarries. In 2020 at the age of 46, after a lot of hard work, Justin Gained his university degree.

Justin’s was a massive James Bond fan, and in his spare time  had a love for shooting, motorbikes, boats, and being on the water. Justin was an avid volunteer and over the years had been a volunteer of Ryde inshore Lifeboat rescue service, Wells Community First Responders and more recently as a leader with 1st North Mendip Scout Group.

Justin loved life. I know he adored Claire, he a Shepton lad and she from Wells and they found a great life together. He and Claire could often be found at the theatre or a music concert, a passion that they have passed on to his children. In the past year, I note that Justin also managed to get Claire to drive the car whilst pulling that huge caravan parked outside the house.

 

When Justin had his cancer diagnosis, he fought with all the determination and stubbornness in him. When he found out that the cancer could not be cured he decided to make as many memories with his children and Claire as he possibly could whilst also continuing his paid work at the quarry throughout his cancer battle.

Justin was a great dad. Clare and the children do not have words to say anything like what needs to be said but here, we can testify that there was a lot of love and  lots of fun. Georgina will remember her dad accompanying her to the proms and the Albert Hall, where she played her flute in the County and National orchestra. Some of the highlights for Henry were shooting clay pigeons on grandad’s land, flying the drone or flying a helicopter. With Harriet, the memories are of going to the annual Wells carnival or to a Taylor Swift concert or of feeding the giant otters. Even that lovely dog Huxley will miss him.

If you visit Justin’s facebook page, and look at what people have offered as tribute, you’ll find some words repeated over and over again. He was ambitious, he was driven, he was one of a kind, he was an inspiration, he always had time for people, he showed compassion and empathy for others, he was courageous, he was always smiling, he was a top guy with a great sense of humour. He was a fighter and this he did in style until the end just a few short weeks ago.

In fact, less than a month ago, on 2nd November, standing here at the front of church, Justin and Claire renewed their wedding vows which many of you attended and whilst he was unable to walk he managed to take his girls down the aisle. Justin was so proud of all his children but he was especially proud of them that day.

We all miss you Justin and today, with the language of faith, we entrust you to God who loves you and holds you.