FUNERALS often prove sombre affairs.

So it says something about a man when people filing out of church at his 'send-off' are chuckling over their warm memories.

The funeral mass for Tony Case at Birchley St Mary's on Friday brought buckets of tears amongst mourners who packed into church.

But the tears were often of laughter...sparked by reminders of Tony's 'playful' personality.

In his eulogy, Tony's brother-in-law, Wally Ashcroft summed up what made Tony so special to his family and vast army of friends.

Wally outlined just a few of the finest exploits of the former Holy Cross pupil, who ran a store in Haresfinch to help raise the cash to set himself up as an estate agent.

He told how Tony had arranged a trip for Wally and former Star editor Alan Whalley to the Appleby Horse Fair only to discover no horses and no gipsies... Tony had booked a week too early.

Boasting he knew the area there like the proverbial back of his hand, Tony managed to navigate them into an army firing range, a tank practice zone and finally a minefield before listening to the voice of reason and beating a retreat.

Later in the day when they pulled into a nearby pub, they were told by a gloomy landlord all they could have to eat was a sandwich.

Tony said he was a VAT inspector doing his rounds. Before long, they were tucking into three giant steaks.

As Wally told mourners, Tony managed to pack 140 years of action into the 71 years of his ‘larger than’ life.

When Tony married Sue, he could have splashed out on a Bahamas honeymoon, but the reception turned out to be in Geoff Pennington’s chippy with vinegar bottles used for the toast.

Everyone knew Tony's 'cavalier' sense of time... so Sue bought him an ‘Ish-clock’ for their home. The time on it read... ‘it's 1-o-clockish’.

Tony was a true friend to the team who founded the St Helens Star. Malcolm, Graham, Terry, Doreen, Alan, Paula and myself all cherish unforgettable yarns of his jests and generosity.

I’d often bump into Tony on his way into Hylands estate agents where he operated in later years. He never forgot to ask after my then toddler son into whose mitt he pressed a pound coin in our kitchen... and ask how his cycling was doing nearly 30 years later. Not many knew it, Tony was quite a cycle racing buff.

Tony was in every facet a real diamond and St Helens will miss his sparkle.