The owner of Davies White & Perry, Patrick Davies, has died after suffering a heart attack at his home in Lilleshall.
Mr Davies died last Thursday, aged 83, after returning home from work that morning feeling unwell.
He was one of Newport’s most familiar faces having worked on High Street at the chartered surveyors, auctioneers and estate agents since 1951.
His son, Andrew, and daughter, Caroline, will now take over the family business.
Andrew said his father continued to work until the day he died and was due to celebrate his 84th birthday in July.
“He will be sorely missed by his family and by a lot of other people,” said Andrew.
“He always wanted to be part of the community and he was also very glad to have two of his children working with him. I worked with him for 23 years, and he was always keen to get the family involved in the business.”
Born in 1926, Mr Davies grew up in Edgmond and attended Adams Grammar school. He joined the Navy, in the Second World War, where he worked on a minesweeper warship, in south-east Asia.
After the war he studied on an art course in Shrewsbury and began work at the Newport family business, founded by his grandfather, Arthur John Davies, in 1806.
Mr Davies was a governor at Newport Girls High and Castle House School.
Headteacher at Newport Girls’ High School, Edwina Gleeson, said: “Although Mr Davies was a governor before my tenure as headteacher, we would like to express our sincere sympathies to the family and express our gratitude for his services to the school.”
Headmaster at Castle House School, Richard Walden, said: “Patrick was always a very keen supporter of the school and was one of the people who were instrumental in setting up the charitable trust which brought the school into the modern age.”
He was also chairman of the Boughey Trust and the Newport Market Company as well as president and honorary life member of the Newport Agricultural Society. Outside Newport he was the chairman of the Bench of Magistrates in Telford.
Mr Davies married his wife Patricia in 1953 and had three children Andrew, Caroline and Nikki. He also had four grandchildren Sophie, Amelie, Olivia and Tom.
His funeral will be held at 3pm today at St Peter’s Church in Edgmond. The public are welcome to attend.
By Sam Pinnington