TRIBUTES have been paid to a ‘one of a kind’ former club steward, who has died aged 68.

William Scott, known as Willie, died peacefully in the Great Western Hospital on July 2 surrounded by his wife Lynne and his six children.

Willie was a familiar face for many years at the Queenstown Club, Dudmore Road where he worked as a steward alongside wife Lynne.

He was also a devoted father to children Mark, Paul, Nicky, Donna, Luke and Ben.

Willie’s wife of 31 years and mother of his son Ben, Lynne, said her partner and soulmate would be sorely missed.

“He was just a one-off, one of a kind, he was just Willie. He was not very romantic but he was very loving, very emotional. He used to cry at TV programmes and he’d just say he had something in his eye,” she said.

“As long as he had a pint, a cigarette and people to talk to, he was happy. He was very sociable and always the life and soul of any party.

“I can’t believe he’s gone, he was my best friend, my other half. I feel like half of me is gone.”

Willie grew up in Blantyre, Scotland, before moving to Swindon where he worked as a scaffolder.

He met third wife Lynne when they worked at the former Walcot and Parks Royal British Legion club in the early 1980s. Lynne said Willie had surprised her with an unusual opening line as she poured a pint.

“The first thing he said to me was ‘wiggle it’ which left me confused. It turned out he meant the pint glass because I was pouring it all wrong. It made me laugh.

“He was such a character, everyone he met he made an impression on, they all loved him. He loved meeting people, he was a very social person.

“I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about him.”

In 1999 Willie and Lynne started work as stewards at the Queenstown Club, a position they would hold for almost 14 years.

“He was a natural at the job, even though he hadn’t had that much experience” said Lynne, “we had such happy times there.”

The grandfather was also known for his generous nature and regularly fundraised for specialist school Brimble Hill.

“He loved children and it was important to him to fundraise for the school. We used to go up at Christmas and he must have raised thousands,” said Lynne.

When not socialising with friends the life-long football fan enjoyed watching his beloved Liverpool and his favourite soap Emmerdale.

In later years, as Willie recovered from lung cancer, the couple split their time between their home in Liden and Goa, India.

Willie’s funeral will be held at Kingsdown Crematorium on Friday at 10.30am. As a fitting tribute to his stewarding days, the funeral cortege will leave from the Queenstown Club.