‘Soupie’ founder Justin dies, 70
TRIBUTES have poured in for a “disciple” who devoted his retirement to help the town’s neediest people.
Southport Soup Kitchen founder Justin Dempster died earlier this month after a heart attack, leaving countless mourners shocked and heartbroken.
He had been taken to hospital two weeks earlier, as a result of a first heart attack, where he received two stents, and his family did not expect further problems.
But he suffered another attack in his sleep and those who knew the father and grandfather have paid tribute.
Justin, 70, was born in Ireland and moved to Liverpool with his parents before moving to Southport more than 40 years ago.
After he and wife Jill ran an accountancy business, Justin retired in his 50s and the couple, who were together for 35 years and married for 18, set up the soup kitchen in the town centre to help those in need.
Jill said: “When he retired, he started to do the soup kitchen. He was asked by Pastor Pete (Cunningham) to help for a short while and that turned into a long while.
“It was a calling from God and he was a disciple of the Lord.”
Away from his volunteer work, Justin was a big Formula One fan and also enjoyed dinghy sailing and walking his dog. He and Jill used to enjoy taking caravan holidays together, particularly staying in Dorchester, where they visited his brother.
After his death was announced, messages of shock and condolence flooded in on social media and proved support to Jill and the rest of the family.
She said: “It’s been wonderful to see.
“I don’t use Facebook, but my daughter showed me, and I didn’t realise how many people cared about him and loved him. He looked after so many people and was so generous.
“He was a wonderful man to me. He will be very, very missed because we loved to do so much together.”
A statement shared on behalf of Southport Soup Kitchen described Justin as a tireless worker.
It said: “Justin has worked for the poor and disadvantaged of Southport for over 15 years and was instrumental in founding the Soup Kitchen. He served as our chair and trustee and guided us through the following difficult years.
“He was a man of deep compassion who didn’t just talk about helping: he took on the powers that be and anyone who needed to be persuaded of the lack of help available to the homeless.
“He gathered volunteers to him and kept the Soup KItchen open and able to offer the haven it became to those in need. Justin insisted on calling the people who come to the Soupie our guests, a simple thing that exemplifies the ethos that we operate by.
“Justin was so much at the heart of the Soupie that, at the moment, we cannot conceive of how we will go on without him.”
Justin’s funeral was held on Friday, November 16, with his family asking for any donations to go to the Soup Kitchen, either directly or via Rushton’s Funeral Directors, on Marshside Road.