JOHN Attenborough was born in Isleworth in 1928, the youngest brother of broadcaster Sir David Attenborough CBE and actor Lord Richard Attenborough.

All three attended Wyggeston Grammar School in Leicester.

After National Service, John followed David to Clare College, Cambridge. David studied geology, John choose modern languages.

While studying at Cambridge John met his future wife Janet. The couple married in Cambridge in 1956, setting up home in Richmond where his brothers lived with their families.

They had two sons; Nicholas and James. Nicholas has lived and worked in South Africa for the past 30 years while James settled in Parkstone with his wife and two daughters.

John’s interest in cars and fluent Italian led to him being asked to join Alfa Romeo GB as general manager and tasked to build up an entire dealer network. He was with the company for 10 years, flying to Milan each month until eventually the firm boasted 100 British dealers.

The family moved to Poole and John went to work at Mann Egerton).

Janet recalled: “He was asked to go to Tehran to look at and evaluate the recently deposed Shah of Persia’s cars.

“The visit was interesting as there were some 140 cars to view including Ferraris, Aston Martins and Lamborghinis, but not without difficulties. The Shah had only been deposed the year before and Iran was in a state of unrest.”

After a long career in the motor industry John spent some years as an Abbey Life financial advisor. Following an eventful life he contracted progressive supercranial palsy and, after a long illness, died peacefully at home on November 9.

Paying tribute to her husband, Janet said: “He was always there for us; a caring father and true family man.”

John’s funeral service was held at the Church of the Transfiguration, Chaddesley Glen, on November 28.