A FORMER petrol station owner who died earlier this month has been described as a hard-working Weardale legend.

Great-grandfather Ronald Wilson Bell, known as Ronnie, who ran the West End Filling Station, in Stanhope, for more than 30 years, died peacefully on Monday, November 14, aged 89.

Born in Pelaw, Tyneside, in 1922, Mr Bell was the youngest of six siblings and lived in various parts of the North-East with his farming family before they moved near Tunstall Reservoir, in Weardale.

As a young man, he followed in his parents' footsteps and became a farm worker.

It was while working at High Joffless Farm that he met his future wife, Olive, who lived nearby, and the young couple were married in 1944, at Wolsingham Methodist Chapel.

They had two daughters, Anne and Doreen, and bought Meadowfield Farm, in Satley, in 1949.

Mr Bell also worked at the iron works, in Consett, before taking ownership of West End Filling Station with his wife and Doreen, in 1969.

In addition, he ran a popular taxi and wedding car service from the premises and looked after the street lighting in the side-streets from Lanehead to Frosterley on behalf of Stanhope Parish Council.

His daughter, Anne Sutherland, described her father as Mr Fix-It and said: "My dad went out in all weathers and he wasn't frightened of hard work.

"He was full of good ideas.

You name it, he would have a goat it. He certainly was a character and liked nothing better than humour.

"We could always hear laughter coming from the shop."

Numerous tributes have been left by well-wishers on social networking site Facebook in memory of Mr Bell.

Mrs Sutherland said: "There are lots of really funny stories on there and people are calling him a Weardale legend.

"It makes me realise that my dad was obviously very special in everyone's lives."

She praised Deacon Sue Peat, who conducted Mr Bell's funeral service at Stanhope Methodist Chapel earlier this week.

Mr Bell also leaves son-inlaw Ian Sutherland, granddaughter Helen, and three great-grandchildren.