BORN in Merthyr Tydfil on April 1, 1921, Ken was brought up and educated in the Welsh town.

When war broke out he joined the Royal Air Force, working in stores and serving in Nigeria where he caught malaria.

He returned to the UK to convalesce and met his future wife Eileen. They fell in love and married at Enfield Methodist Church in 1951.

Ken worked for many years as a freight forwarder and supervised the forwarding of materials used in the rebuilding of Czechoslovakia after the war. When Florence flooded in the 1960s he was much involved in relief work in the city.

Ken was responsible for importing beautiful mosaics that adorn the walls of the Roman Catholic Cathedral in Westminster, London and it was fitting that he was made a Freeman of the City of London for his work. Along with that honour went the privilege of being able to drive a flock of sheep over London Bridge.

Ken and Eileen were blessed with the birth of a son Neville in 1955 and they cherished family life and a very happy marriage.

On Ken’s retirement they set up home in Bournemouth and were warmly welcomed by the Punshon Memorial Methodist Church.

Tragedy struck in 1990 when a road accident claimed Eileen’s life. The support of his friends at Punshon helped Ken cope with the terrible loss of his soul mate and he remained a widower until his death on April 23.

A lifelong Methodist, Ken’s faith was very important to him and he was much loved by the Punshon congregation.

A deeply private man, he loved cruising and, when the Punshon congregation dispersed, he made his spiritual home at Richmond Hill St Andrew’s United Reformed Church where he was loved and respected.