A PACKED church listened attentively on Wednesday as a potentially 'formal' civic funeral to former mayor Jesse Grey was transformed by warm and often humorous tributes from his friends and family members.

As a former royal borough mayor Cllr Grey's funeral service held at St Edwards Roman Catholic Church in Alma Road, Windsor was always going to have some degree of formality - as robed councillors entered the church to take their place.

But at the specific request of Cllr Grey's family the usual protocol was abandoned. The current mayor Cllr Paul Lion had readily agreed to break with tradition and not deliver the council's eulogy himself, leaving it to the Royal Borough's deputy leader Cllr Phill Bicknell - a personal friend of Jesse Grey's.

Cllr Grey's grandson Jack told the congregation: "He loved being a grandad and what a great grandad he was."

He remembered being taught the Chelsea song Blue is the Colour by his grandfather when he was two and belting it out at his first football match with him - as well as learning about jockeys, horse training and how to back winners.

Cllr Grey's daughter granddaughter Isabella Davies said: "I can't remember a school event he did not attend. He enjoyed helping with our homework. He loved maths and sometimes we would have to remind him it was our homework not his."

Son Martin recalled how his fit 77-year-old grandad had attended his last match - Chelsea against Liverpool - at Stamford Bridge only two days before his sudden and unexpected death.

His friend Robin Syrett of 60 years standing remembered Cllr Grey's sporting talent as a cricketer and squash player.

Cllr Grey lived in Datchet and represented the village on the Royal Borough. He was a leading cabinet member - more recently for environmental services, parking and flooding. He had been expected to stand as a candidate for newly merged wards of Datchet and Horton/Wraysbury at the next council elections in 2019.

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