A MUCH-LOVED engineer who ran his own garage in Radcliffe for more than 30 years has died.

Allan Bowers Crossley died at his home in Dove Bank Road, Little Lever, on September 20 at the age of 84, following a short battle with bowel cancer.

His daughter, Sue Williams, described her father, who had served in Jordan with the Royal Air Force earlier in his life, as "a great inspiration."

He is also survived by his wife, Joyce, sister, Sylvia Mason, step-daughters Alison and Joy, grandson Jordi, and step-grandchildren, Lucy and Luke.

Mr Crossley was born at the Bealey Maternity Home in Radcliffe in 1932 and attended Radcliffe Technical college as a teenager. His passion was cars and motorcycles and he began his career as an apprentice at Rootes Motors in Manchester.

At the age of 17, he joined the RAF for five years, serving three years in Jordan and becoming a senior aircraftman.

In a Radcliffe Times article in 2003 looking back on his time in Jordan, Mr Crossley said: "I looked around at my friends who were courting and settling down and thought about how I hadn't seen anything of the world."

He added: "The thrill and the smell of burnt kerosene are with me still."

On his return, Mr Crossley, a passionate member of the Labour Party, worked at Radcliffe Motor Company and later in Farnworth, specialising in automatic transmission gear boxes. In 1968 he opened his own garage in Milner Street, Radcliffe, and continued in business there until his retirement in 2002.

In 1981 he married his second wife, Joyce, who had been a customer at his garage and a pupil at the night school where he taught car maintenance.

His funeral was held last Wednesday at Radcliffe Crematorium, with friends and family gathering at the Stopes Tavern afterwards to share their memories.

Mrs Mason, of Strangford Street, said: "Allan was very well known in Radcliffe and I do think that his customers will be very sorry to hear of his passing."