David Cave passed away at the age of 80 on September 20 following a long illness.

He was born in Priors Marston but lived in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth during his life and was a former chairman of the Warwick Chamber of Trade as well as a masseur and reflex therapist.

His daughter, Josie Daley, has fond recollections of the time she spent with her father who, she said, "tried to fit everything into life".

She remembers particularly vividly holidays with her father, mother Margaret and their seven other children.

She said: "We spent a lot of time on Hayling Island near Portsmouth and took our first holiday abroad to France.

"Dad also took the others to Scotland and Northumberland after I left home and I remember the ten of us all cramming into his yellow van to go away. It was a bit of a squeeze!

"He was a very well-liked chap and quite a character.

"He was very generous, loved to help people and remained cheerful and determined to keep going until the end."

Mr Cave joined the Merchant Navy in 1943 - even after sneaking on to the bus to go and being was told he was too young for the Royal Navy.

This gave him the chance to travel the world and he visited Madagascar, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil, among other countries, even helping people in Mauritius rebuild their damaged huts.

Mr Cave also managed to survive when the ship he was on in Buenos Aries turned over in stormy weather.

He became interested in alternative therapies later in his life and co-founded the Creative Health Centre in Leamington.

Swimming, sailing, scuba-diving and gardening were among his other hobbies and he shared his many and varied experiences on a programme for Acquired Brain Injury at Warwickshire College.

He joined the course after suffering a stroke in 1997 and attended arts, crafts, ceramics, cookery and woodwork classes up until April.

Staff and learners there remember him as "dignified gentleman" who had a "wicked" sense of humour and who believed in taking action to make things better.

The David Cave Memorial Fund has been set up by those he met at the college to enable current students to benefit in his memory.

Mrs Daley added: "He was an inspiration and a gift to us all. He taught me to make the most of life and fill your days."