COLWALL is mourning the loss of sub-postmaster Ron Wills.

Mr Wills, 49, died at Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Monday after being ill for some time.

His wife, Gillian, and brother, Ray, who owns Colwall Pharmacy, have received hundreds of letters of condolence from residents this week.

"He was just the funniest, best friend anyone could have asked for," said Mrs Wills.

Born Ronald George Wills in Birmingham, he attended Holt Grammar School in Aston. He married Gillian in 1978 and the couple had two children, Ashley and Craig.

Both live locally and Mr Wills was proud grandfather to Ashley's twin sons, Elliot and Noah.

In Birmingham, Mr Wills held different jobs, as a barrow boy in the market to being a butcher and working for Prudential building society.

A Villa fan through and through, a favourite job was being an international steward on the football club's Madrid tour in 1998, in charge of a bus full of supporters.

The couple moved to the area in 2000 and took over Colwall Post Office.

Mrs Wills said her husband immediately took to life behind the counter.

"He was our very own Postman Pat," she said.

With a keen love of animals, he had two miniature ponies, Archie and Hobbit, and four dogs.

His funeral is at Wor-cester Crematorium on Wednesday and is for family and close friends.

There will be a memorial service on Saturday, November 26, at 3pm at St James's Church, Colwall, where his family plans to dedicate a bench.

Instead of flowers, donations to Worcestershire Royal Hospital's neonatal unit, which cared for Mr Wills' grandson Elliot, can be made through Holland Funeral Services, Malvern.