Tributes to a businessman who was proud of Halifax
A well-known Calderdale man who owned a popular Ripponden restaurant and helped with the creation of the M62 has died.
Jeffrey Doyle was an entrepreneur who owned several businesses including Crabfield Farm Restaurant and a plant hire and motorway maintenance business.
Mr Doyle was born in 1942 in Brighouse. His family moved to Soyland when he was young.
He had a love for repairing things and tractors, wagons and diggers. He started workingwithCalderdaleHighways, bothmaintainingandgritting the roads.
His son Marcus said: “He had state-of-the art equipment for the time, with giant snow-moving equipment, gritters and heavy plant to do the job.
"He branched out into cattle transport, plant and equipment hire and dabbled with farming.
"He even set up a rabbit farm, seeing an opening in the market for rabbits for the table - it was a different world back then.”
Mr Doyle was married to Anne and the pair had a son Marcus and two daughters Claire and Emma.
He later spent 45 years with his life partner, Susan, who cared for him until he died.
One of his proudest achievements, other than his family, was the restaurant he built and ran with his parents and sisters.
Crabfield Farm Restaurant
was set up on the hills above Ripponden. It started off small but soon grew, with multiple dining rooms serving coachloads of diners with highteasanddinner,aswellas high quality disco and cabaret entertainment which attracted a host of stars.
Mr Doyle’s plant hire and motorway maintenance business – whose wagons were branded with J Doyle and Son - helped with the creation of the Ripponden section of the M62.
"He was very well known
in the town of Halifax and surrounding countryside,” said Marcus.
"He loved to help people and was super proud – some say too proud – of all his achievements.
"He was the proudest man in Halifax. He loved Calderdale.”
After leaving Soyland, Mr Doyle quietly retired but continued to help people.
His funeral will take place atParkWoodCrematoriumin Elland at 3.45pm on Tuesday, March 7.