More than 100 mourners gathered at Semington Crematorium on Monday afternoon to celebrate the life of Corsham School assistant headteacher John Ridler, who lost his battle with cancer recently.

Mr Ridler, who had lived in Westbury for the past two years and before that in Corsham was remembered by family and friends during a reading by Marcus Chapman, a friend and the assistant headteacher at Corsham School.

He said: “The crematorium was packed with colleagues, former colleagues, friends, students and former students as well as his family. The turnout reflects just how much he was liked.

“As well as a reading I also read some words that John had written about how his family and friends had been such a great support during his illness as well as the hospital staff who treated him and Dorothy House Hospice.

“A variety of music he had chosen was played including Simply Red's Holding Back the Years and David Gray’s Forgive Me, and the service ended with Barbara Streisand's All I Ask of You.”

Son Andrew Ridler, who lives in Southampton, paid tribute to his dad, remembering the time and devotion he gave to his job and the students who needed help and encouragement.

“He was a very caring and loving father, supporting me and my sister Emily. He was always there for us and, looking at the cards he has received from past students, he helped them a lot.

“He helped children with special needs and those who had a troubled background and found good in everyone, helping to turn them around.”

Mr Ridler said that even when his father fell ill around Christmas 2007 he still remained determined and, after three months of being told he had a virus, he was diagnosed with cancer.

His son said: “I had been away on holiday in America for a wedding when I got a text from my dad saying ‘sorry I have cancer’. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer and it spread through his body from there.

“He tried radiotherapy and chemotherapy at Salisbury District hospital and then Southampton hospital and even tried a new trial drug that gave him several more months of life but had bad side effects. He chose to come off the drug in October last year so that he could spend Christmas at home with us.

“It was one of my best memories of my dad having him at home and seeing him able to eat properly for the first time in a month.”

Mr Ridler wants to thank his father’s friends and family for all of the support they gave him during his illness, specifically Marcus Chapman and wife Amanda.

“They were brilliant to dad, visiting him on a regular basis and he lived with them when he first moved to Corsham before starting his job at the school in 2001.

“My brother David, wife Charlene, and my mother Ann and auntie Angela all looked after him, keeping him going throughout his illness. If it wasn’t for them I don’t think he would have lived as long.”