WE didn’t mourn David Dacey at his funeral in the packed church in Cothelstone, where he served as churchwarden for many years.

There was naturally great sadness at his death aged 88 in April.

But family, friends and former pupils from Bishops Lydeard Primary School, where he taught, attended his funeral this month to celebrate a happy life well lived.

Somerset County Gazette: Mr Dacey at Bishops Lydeard Sports Day in 1993.Mr Dacey at Bishops Lydeard Sports Day in 1993. (Image: Supplied by Mr Dacey's family)

When Mr Dacey arrived at the school in 1961, he received a five-page teaching policy guide and a class of 45 children.

By the time he retired in 1993, the classes were smaller, but he was having to trawl through nine volumes of National Curriculum documents.

Mr Dacey was one of those gifted natural teachers who influenced so many people, but those piles of paperwork likely hastened his decision to leave.

Somerset County Gazette: Mr Dacey arrived at the school in 1961 and retired in 1993.Mr Dacey arrived at the school in 1961 and retired in 1993. (Image: Supplied by Mr Dacey's family)

Born in Wales, he swapped the Brecon Beacons for Somerset’s Quantock Hills, where he lived in Cushuish, near Kingston St Mary, for six decades.

He cycled down to Bishops Lydeard most days during his 32-year stint in the classroom, going through six drop-handlebar bikes and three rucksacks and clocking up 30,000 miles.

During the 1963 Big Freeze, when snow made country roads impassable for weeks, he walked in.

Somerset County Gazette: Mr Dacey with pupils at Bishops Lydeard Primary School.Mr Dacey with pupils at Bishops Lydeard Primary School. (Image: Supplied by Mr Dacey's family)

I was among the hundreds of youngsters fortunate enough to learn from his fun, interesting lessons. It was captivating stuff and he commanded our respect.

Pupils eagerly awaited the scripts for his creative Christmas plays.

He passed on his love of sport and once kindly took my brother and me to watch Somerset play cricket.

Somerset County Gazette: “Mr Dacey was one of those gifted natural teachers who influenced so many people.”“Mr Dacey was one of those gifted natural teachers who influenced so many people.” (Image: Supplied by Mr Dacey's family)

He and his wife, Avril, who died in 2017, were devout Christians and loved dancing and the countryside, giving their two sons and daughter lasting memories of mushrooming in the fields and connecting to wildlife.

Somerset County Gazette: Phil Hill has paid tribute to Mr Dacey, who led a happy life well lived.Phil Hill has paid tribute to Mr Dacey, who led a happy life well lived. (Image: Phil Hill)

In later life, Mr Dacey harked back to the old ways, when milk was delivered to his doorstep in glass bottles and paid for by cheque and pensioners could collect their Giros from the village post office.

He refused to embrace social media, rarely used his mobile phone and never watched reality TV.

He is dearly missed, but he enriched our lives and leaves memories to cherish.