By Jenny Barwise

Last updated at 11:41, Friday, 07 September 2012

A popular character who sat for hours on a stool each day outside his town centre home has died.

Michael Plumb: ‘He had a really good heart’

Michael Plumb became best friends with traffic wardens in Workington and is remembered for giving parking advice to motorists near his Udale Street home. But the 73-year-old has died at the West Cumberland Hospital after a long illness.

His good friend Sylvia Kyprianou, said Mr Plumb became part of the town centre scene and would speak to people passing by his home, which was near to Marks & Spencer.

She and her husband Strad, who own the nearby Butterflies cafe, have known Mr Plumb for the past 17 years. They became so close that their children Alexander and Lydia called him their grandfather.

The 37-year-old said: “Michael loved the sunshine so always sat outside his house on his stool. He didn’t have many people visiting him – he was best friends with the traffic wardens. He would sit there and tell people not to park their cars outside as they would get into trouble.”

But for the past couple of months Mr Plumb was unable to sit outside as his health deteriorated.

He was diagnosed with chronic obstruction of the airways 21 years ago and five years ago Mrs Kyprianou started helping him with housework and doing his shopping as his condition worsened.

He spent three weeks in hospital in July and was taken back in two days before he died.

“He was quite a dry character, but inside he had a really good heart,” said Mrs Kyprianou. “Not many people came to visit him - he liked his own company. You needed to persevere to get to know him as he was a bit of a loner and quite shy.

“He was the most organised man and very minimalistic.

“I have got pages of instructions with things to do when he died.

“He was super-organised.”

Mr Plumb loved music and when Mrs Kyprianou would visit they would listen to hits from the sixties as well as rock and roll tunes and classical music.

“He’s not going to be forgotten,” said Mrs Kyprianou. “He maybe didn’t have many friends or family - but we’ll give him a good send off.”

Mrs Kyprianou said that Mr Plumb never married and he didn’t have any family that lived nearby after his father Colin, from Seaton, died nine years ago.

She is hoping that people will turn up to his funeral which takes place this afternoon at St John’s Church in Workington at 3pm. It will be followed by cremation at Distington Hall.

JBarwise@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:28, Friday, 07 September 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk