A THANKSGIVING service for auctioneer and former Kennet District Councillor Geoff Taylor will be held at St John's Church, Devizes at 2.30pm on Monday.

Mr Taylor, died aged 73, at home in Old Park, Devizes, on Friday after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease two years ago.

A collection will be made at the end of the service in aid of the Motor Neurone Disease Association which supported Mr Taylor and his family throughout his illness.

Mr Taylor grew up in Redstocks, Melksham, and went first to St Michael's Primary and then after passing his 11 plus a year early to Trowbridge Boys' High School.

He won a university place to study to be a vet but instead took a job with Ferris and Culverwell were he studied by correspondence to become a chartered surveyor.

He then moved to Loveday and Loveday, firstly in Swindon and then in Devizes. He later set up his own estate agency under his own name firstly in St John's Street and later in the Market Place.

He sold the business to the Halifax but continued to work for the firm and ran its auctions. In recent years he joined forces with his old friend Gordon Straker and set up Strakers' auction department.

He enjoyed sport and played football for Bromham and cricket for Spye Park. He was also a big supporter of Bath Rugby Club and Devizes Lions where he twice served as president.

He was one of the first councillors on the old Kennet District Council where he represented Seend and Rowde as an independent and went on to become chairman of the council. He met the Queen during her visit to open the restored Kennet & Avon Canal in 1990.

He met his wife to be Rosemary at Devizes Cricket Club and took her on a first date to the Palace Cinema in Devizes. She said: "I suppose it was love at first sight. He was 19 and I was 17."

They married 50 years ago in Seend and celebrated their golden wedding in August. They lived most of their married life in Bromham.

They had five children Julie, Ian, Paul, Lois and Julian but their lives were shattered by the death of Paul aged just 16 in 1986. Mr Taylor also leaves eight grandchildren.

In 1997 the family home in Bromham was almost totally destroyed by fire and the family had to move out while it was rebuilt.

Mr Taylor and his wife also fostered Nathan as a young boy and he still calls the the couple Mum and Dad.

Mr Taylor, who was also a director of Clenche Properties with his wife and son Iain, had bought a plot of land at Old Park, Devizes 30 years ago. But work on building it only started a couple of years ago and he and his wife only moved in after his illness started to take hold.