A FAMILY has paid tribute to a loving father who had just six days to say his farewells after finding out his cancer was terminal.

Ronnie Proctor, 47, from Whitworth, was a popular employee at kitchen, bedroom and bathroom manufacturer J and J Ormerod, at Olive Mill, Bacup.

He was a packing operative and his younger brother Lee is an assistant manager.

Lee said: “Ronnie had suffered with stomach pains for 18 months to two years and in April he had an MRI scan and was initially told he had lymphoma, cancer of the blood, then later they said it was an aggressive cancer of the oesophagus which had spread to his liver.”

At that stage the family were waiting to hear when Ronnie would be given treatment for the cancer, but on Father’s Day his stomach and legs swelled up and a locum doctor was called.

Lee said: “For up to 10 weeks we thought his cancer could be treated but then the locum doctor said it was terminal - that was the first time the family had been told.”

Ronnie was initially taken to Fairfield Hospital and then spent his final days in Springhill Hospice, passing away on the Saturday June 22.

His funeral was on Tuesday July 9 with a service at The Riverside in Whitworth attended by around 600 and many of his friends from JJO and Joint Managing Directors Stephen and Lee Greenhalgh.

Ronnie’s brother said: “Had we known that it was terminal, we would have been able to plan those weeks and make sure he did everything he wanted to.

“As it was, he was able to set the songs he wanted and he was able to request that the pall bearers all wore St George waistcoats and his coffin was also had a St George cross on it.

“Thank you to everyone who attended and especially to Duffy Funeral Services.”

Ronnie leaves his wife Julie, their children Libby, 14, and Junior, 16, his brother Lee, sisters Wendy and Julie and parents Ron and Kath, nephews and nieces.

Lee’s son Reece had been abroad when the family discovered Ronnie’s didn’t have long to live and he arrived back in the early hours of Saturday and saw him at 9am.

Lee said: “Ronnie put out his hand and said he had been waiting for Reece and was gone half an hour later.”

His manager at JJO Mark O’Garr said: “Ronnie’s passing was a big shock for everyone at JJO. He was a really well respected person and everybody loved him.

“He was known as ‘Ronnie Rochman’ because he loved working on that machine, it shrink wraps products, and he could use it better than anyone.”

Ronnie would also pass on his skills to new employees in the packaging department.

He used to watch matches at Rochdale Football Club and was a member of the JJO darts team.

A benefit event will be held in his honour on Saturday August 24 in the afternoon at his local the Whitworth Workers. It will raise money for his family and Springhill Hospice.