Ronald John Cooper, who was variously known to his friends as Ron, John or Johnny, was born on April 12, 1923, in Gastard, near Corsham, the middle son of seven boys.

He always had a strong work ethic and while still at school he worked for Gales delivering bread and also for Claud Hillier, a local milkman, with whom he took a full-time job on leaving school at 15.

It was while delivering milk to Simmons Grocery Store in Corsham High Street he met a young shop assistant Lilian Brown, with whom he fell in love.

In 1941 Ron joined the RAF during the Second World War and served overseas with 99 Squadron in the Cocos Islands.

At the end of the war, he returned home to find that due to their years apart, Lilian had ended the relationship.

But he would not give up on his dream and he was determined to win her all over again, which he did, and in 1947, they were married at St Bartholomew’s Church in Corsham.

Home for the first 15 months of their marriage was with Lilian’s family in Corsham, where their eldest son Gary was born in 1948.

They moved between Corsham and Gastard for the next few years and had five more children, Paul, Shelagh, Gloria, Angela and Debbie.

Ron worked hard for his family, always taking on part-time weekend work on top of a full-time job and in 1964 they were able to buy their first home, a detached bungalow in Hilperton.

Ron worked a milk round in the morning for the Co-op and five evening shifts a week at the old Modeluxe Laundry, in Trowbridge, before getting a job at Avon Rubber Company.

After seeing their children grow up, Lilian, who had always wanted to live near the coast, persuaded Ron that now was the time and in 1988 they moved to Cornwall.

During this period, daughter Debbie worked in the pursers office on board the QE2 and they had several luxury cruises including stays in New York.

They also enjoyed other memorable holidays, visiting the West Coast of the USA and seeing the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Hollywood and San Francisco. Sadly their son Paul, who had moved near to them in Cornwall, died suddenly in 2001 and in 2002 they decided to return to Wiltshire, moving to Warminster.

After celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary in 2007, they were to experience yet more grief when their youngest daughter Debbie and granddaughter Becky both died through illness in 2009, followed by Lilian’s death in January 2010, after a stroke.

Mr Cooper’s mother had always said “Our John won’t make old bones, he works too hard”, but he was the last of her sons to survive and the only one to see his 90th birthday. He died on March 8, due to complications resulting from a fall on New Year’s Day, which broke his hip.

After surgery at Salisbury Hospital, he came back to Warminster Hospital, where, despite receiving wonderful care from the staff, he died peacefully, surrounded by his surviving children.

His family described him as “one of those many unsung heroes: a wonderful father, grandfather, great-grandfather and husband; a loving man who took what life threw at him, worked very hard and ‘just got on with it’”.

His funeral took place yesterday at the West Wiltshire Crematorium in Semington.

Donations in his memory can be made in aid of Cancer Research.