A “community man” who was a member of Wanstead Methodist Church since the start of World War Two has died at the age of 92.

George Brian Evans Reed, who lived in Cranbourne Avenue for 64 years, died on October 15 after a 13-year battle with prostate cancer.

Born in 1922 in a Cornwall village, he joined the civil service aged 17 at the onset of World War Two, moving to Colvin Gardens, Wanstead.

It was then that he started attending Wanstead Methodist Church in Hermon Hill.

In 1942 he joined the RAF, responsible for maintaining the guns and the illumination flares on Mosquito’s, and later joined the Ministry of Agriculture.

After the war, Mr Reed returned to Wanstead and he married his wife, Muriel, in 1949 in the Methodist church, moving into Cranbourne Avenue.

Muriel suffered a stroke in 1974 and Mr Reed acted as her full-time carer until she died at the age of 70 in 1995.

He was involved in the Methodist church for the 75 years he lived in Wanstead, he acted as church council secretary and church treasurer, in which he played a major role in the building of both sets of halls at the rear of the church.

56-year-old son Colin is a vicar in Norfolk and 62-year-old son Gordon is a lawyer living in Upminster.

Colin said: “Dad was a real community man, he knew all his neighbours and he had so many friends in Wanstead.

“He loved Wanstead life, though he always remembered his roots as a Cornishman.

“The Methodist church was so important to him for the time he lived in Wanstead and Dad gained so much from the friendship and fellowship that came from it.

“There are mixed emotions, it is very sad but at the same time there is some relief, his quality of life had deteriorated and he was not himself any longer.

“There is a sense of fulfilment in what he achieved in life and he did a really good job looking after Mum for years."

The funeral of George Brian Evans Reed will take place on Friday at 2.30pm at Wanstead Methodist Church.