Frank Lowe, the founder of the business in Middleton by Wirksworth, Derbyshire, that carries his name, Francis N Lowe Ltd, died at his home on 19 January. He was 88.

Frank’s widow, Sarah, and the family would like to thank everyone in the trade for their kind words and sympathy, and for their support of the chosen charities, Derbyshire Association for the Blind and the renal unit at Derby Royal.

Frank started trading in stone in 1946 after leaving the Royal Fleet Arm, in which he served during World War II.

Originally supplying agricultural limestone and landscaping stone, he later moved into manufacturing, producing fireplaces and other stone features, initially using the local limestone and sandstones with Westmoreland green slate hearths and shelves – which he used to drive to Cumbria to collect. In the early 1960s, with more imported marbles (only a few granites at that time) being stocked by the local wholesaler, Pisani, Frank developed the marble and granite side of the business that continues to this day.

Throughout his life Frank saw vast changes in the equipment used to process the stones. He started off with a used Anderson Grice saw (Old Bertha) bought from the then closed Hopton Wood Stone Firms. Later he moved into a larger workshop on the same site and designed and built his own bridge saw before eventually buying one of the first Spielvogels to come into the UK. Finally he saw the recent installation of the CNC machining centre.

He also saw many transitions in trends. He originally worked mainly for private clients, then, in the late 1970s, changed more to supplying fellow stone companies with commercial contracts across the UK and abroad. Today the business has swung back again towards more private work.

Frank sat on the Marble & Granite Committee of Stone Federation Great Britain and was a member of the Granite Guild. He was always willing to give his advice and pass on his experience to those who followed in the trade he loved.

The company is still in family hands. His son, Adrian, is now Managing Director and his granddaughter, Elisabeth Sumper (daughter of the retired Bernhard) is Company Secretary.

Frank will be sadly missed.