Universal Store co-founder Greg Josephson farewelled at an emotional funeral
Greg Josephson, the wealthy co-founder of the Universal Store clothing chain, was remembered on Monday as a dad who lived for his family at an emotional funeral.
He was the dad who lived for his family, a creative and kind man whose murder last month in his $5m home in Brisbane rocked both the local community and Australia’s business elite.
Greg Josephson, the wealthy co-founder of the Universal Store clothing chain, was farewelled on Monday at an emotional funeral packed with family, friends and colleagues.
The proximity of the murder scene – barely 150m from the Catholic Church in dress-circle Clayfield – was a painful reminder of the senselessness of his death on June 26, allegedly at the hands of a 15-year-old boy who was known to him.
The youth remained in custody on remand while Mr Josephson’s life of personal and professional achievement was celebrated in a two-hour service.
Mourners led by his widow, Tamra, applauded when the casket was carried from the church and lifted gently into the waiting hearse. At one point she could be heard shouting in the direction of media representatives, watching on from a distance.
Police continue to investigate the 58-year-old businessman’s death by stabbing in the luxury home he shared with Ms Josephson and their children. A party attended by teenage boys took place there on the evening he was found dead, police allege.
The requiem mass was conducted by Anthony Mellor, the parish priest at the school where the couple’s children attended. Uniformed students from top Catholic schools St Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace, St Joseph’s Nudgee College and St Rita’s College for girls filled the pews.
Ms Josephson lit the Paschal Candle, symbolising the light Christ’s resurrection brought to the world.
In a moving eulogy, she said her husband was the most kind-hearted, generous, happy and intelligent man she could have wished to make a life with, a “true gentleman”.
She said: “Some couples grow apart as time goes by. We weren’t like that. I loved him more each year we were together and I know he felt the same.”
Mr Josephson’s brother, Michael, longtime friend Peter Ovenden and his sister-in-law, Melissa Josephson, speaking on behalf of his mother, also delivered moving tributes. His daughter, Sydney, gave thanks for the time they spent together.
The family said they had been “overwhelmed by the outpouring of love, support and fond memories” since the tragedy.
At the time, the Josephson’s were in the process of selling their Clayfield home to move to beachside Noosa on the Sunshine Coast.
The popular Universal Store fashion chain Mr Josephson founded with his brother, Michael, was acquired by private equity investors in 2018, in a deal that was reportedly worth as much as $100m.
Michael Josephson served as a pallbearer alongside fellow siblings Andrew, Martin and John, rounded out by Jonathan Breene and Derek Nicholson.
After selling the business, the late Mr Josephson invested successfully in property, amassing a portfolio including the $13.9m Noosa Reef Hotel and a $3.5m boutique cottage development in the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
The 15-year-old boy charged with his murder cannot be named for legal reasons. The case was mentioned in the Brisbane Children’s Court on June 27 and adjourned until September 2.
The youth could become the first accused juvenile offender to be tried under tough “adult crime, adult time” laws enacted by David Crisafulli’s nine-month-old LNP government in Queensland.
After the service, Ms Josephson hosted relatives and close friends at the family home.
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