Braddon bids Mr Frugii farewell

John Marshall, aka Mr Frugii, died on February 25, and family, friends and ice cream lovers have been mourning his loss ever since.

The Braddon store is temporarily closed - with a promise to reopen as soon as possible - and a note on the door, explaining why, has been covered with signatures and memorials, sorry for your loss, our thoughts are with you, our deep sympathy.

For the traders in the building the loss is particularly hard.

"We can't imagine what [his wife and son] Ed and Leon are going through," says Loulou Moxom, of Moxom and Whitney florists, two doors down.

"But it's like a family here, everyone looks out for each other, and John would give you the shirt off his back if he had to.

"When you were talking to him, he'd look you in the eye and listen to you and you knew you were heard and whatever you went to him with you would walk away with a hug and a smile."

The Marshalls were one of the first businesses who moved into the Ori Building in 2015, the little ice-cream hideaway was a major contributor to the renaissance of Lonsdale Street as a foodie haven.

When Stuart Strutt-Shotton opened Enigma Fine Chocolates in 2019 he said the Marshalls were instrumental in helping to establish the business across the hall.

"John, and Ed, went out of their way to help us," he says.

"Whether it was helping us source different suppliers or just helping us get our heads around actually opening a shop, they were fantastic in that regard."

Strutt-Shotton's chocolate creations are as imaginative as Frugii ice cream and he said the pair used to talk endlessly about flavour combinations and pushing boundaries.

"They've done anything and everything with their ice cream, it was an inspiration," he says.

"John was a bank of knowledge when it came to things like, he was always helpful and generous with his expertise and time and he found great joy in sharing his passion with everyone."

Belinda Whitney, of Moxom and Whitney, said it was a given that the local traders would help out the family during their time of need.

"It's a community here, a real neighbourhood, we'd send people from the florist to get ice cream, they'd send people down to get flowers, that's just how it works here. And we'll miss him terribly."

Moxom said their florist will be doing the flowers for the funeral.

"We were thinking about what to do and we discovered John was a certified diver and he loved the Great Barrier Reef so we're trying to do something to commemorate that.

"We find out so much about people when they die, we should be doing that while people are still with us."

Marshall leaves behind his wife Ed and son Leon. Marshall's funeral will be held on March 12. There will be a procession past the Braddon store at 12.45pm before a service to celebrate his life at the Kamberra Function Centre, Lyneham, from 1.30pm.

All are welcome. Donations, in lieu of flowers, maybe be made to Save the Great Barrier Reef at the service.