Pat Potter, who has died aged 74, was a keen dramatist, stalwart of the Methodist church and an active businessman right up until he was taken ill last year.

Pat Potter, who has died aged 74, was a keen dramatist, stalwart of the Methodist church and an active businessman right up until he was taken ill last year.

Many people knew him from Browne and Sons garage in Loddon, where he played a key role from when he joined in the 1950s until last year, acting as partner, managing director and director over the years.

He attended Norwich Grammar School, followed by an engineering apprenticeship at what was then the technical college. After his national service he joined the family business, Browne and Sons, where he later became managing director. When the garage ran a

24-hour recovery service Mr Potter would go out at all times of the day and night to help people who had broken down.

He spent much of his life in Loddon but moved to nearby Norton Subcourse in 1986. He was also a Methodist circuit steward for many years and on several church committees, and was a trustee of Norton Methodist Church.

He enjoyed painting and gardening, and adored his seven grandchildren and his great-grandson, whose birth in April gave him great joy in the last weeks of his life.

His wife Heather, who shared 51 years of marriage with him, said: "He was full of fun. He loved children. He was a people's man, he really was."

He fought a courageous battle against colon cancer, refusing to be beaten until his final days. The funeral is being held on Friday at 1pm at St John's Church in Loddon.