Former Midlands journalist Steve Cornell has died from a heart attack, aged 64.
Cornell was taken ill while visiting a friend in London, and was pronounced dead at Homerton Hospital, Hackney, on Tuesday, 31 March.
His funeral will be held at Stourbridge Crematorium on Thursday, 9 April, at 2.50pm.
Cornell began his career at The County Express in Stourbridge, and later became chief reporter at the Wolverhampton-based Express & Star’s Dudley branch.
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He moved to head office as a news editor, and spent the final part of his career as training officer. He had worked for the company for three decades.
He had served as Dudley and Stourbridge branch secretary of the National Union of Journalists, and helped organise a number press balls for charity.
For the past five years, Cornell divided his time between his house in Torrox, Spain, and a home in Stourport.
He was brought up in Shropshire and Clent, and had also lived at Caunsall, Kinver and Stourbridge.
Cornell was married to journalist Louise Jew, and also leaves a sister Katy, brother-in-law Harry and niece and nephew Carly and Ben.
He enjoyed bridge, winning a number of trophies in tournaments, and also had a fascination with historic naval battles.
His other hobbies included gardening, reading and writing satirical letters to his friends from Spain.
Jew said: “Humour was one of the driving forces of his life and his friends used to look forward to receiving what he called his Rants from the Costas.
“He was a very intelligent and devastatingly witty man.”
Donations in memory of Cornell will be for the British Heart Foundation.
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