David Browne, who was a journalist on The Citizen, Gloucester, for 43 years, has died at his home in Pincoate, Highnam, aged 64.
During his years on the newspaper he mastered nearly every job on the editorial floor, including news reporter, feature writer, sub-editor in two different technologies, and advertising copywriter.
He is remembered for his meticulous attention to accuracy and detail, and for his encyclopaedic knowledge of historical and political affairs.
Typically, Browne had written his own obituary notes just over a year ago, after being diagnosed with cancer, and filed them, ready to meet deadlines when required.
Veteran Citizen reporter Hugh Worsnip said: "I have known David since I was 10
because we were at school together.
"I learned a lot from David by listening to him interviewing people. He got the information he required by polite persistence and careful preparation.
"He never needed to check a point, because he had already covered every detail first time. He was brilliantly organised."
Browne led the team which covered the extraordinary Tuffley Avenue plane crash in 1963.
He lived just round the corner in Calton Road, and later recalled that the sight of the large aircraft perched on the roof of an Edwardian house became so familiar that local people didn’t give it a second glance.
He also covered a series of high profile murder trials at the Gloucester Assizes, major fires, the opening of the first Severn bridge and the demise of the 1st Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment.
Born in Gloucester in 1938, Browne joined The Citizen in 1956 under the editorship of Geoffrey Robertson and served under six subsequent editors.
His National Service was spent in the RAF during which he was posted to Aden.
He suffered a series of health setbacks after his retirement in 1999.
At his farewell ceremony he said: "Gloucester has changed so much during my career. That is why nostalgia is such a popular feature of the paper. We look forward to the future but Gloucestrians remember the past with great affection."
Outside his work he enjoyed classical music and books.
His general knowledge made him a formidable member of the quiz team at the Black Dog pub in Newent.
Browne died surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Trudy, his two married daughters, Emma and Rebecca, and one granddaughter.
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