FAMILY, friends, colleagues, and well-wishers paid tribute to community stalwart Bryan Foley on Tuesday, June 30.

Fifty-eight-year-old, Mr Foley, of Guthrie Street, Barry, died unexpectedly on June 6.

The funeral cortege drove from his home, stopping of at the ambulance station in Port Road where colleagues and friends gathered to pay their respects on his final journey to the Cardiff and Glamorgan memorial garden and crematorium.

MORE STORIES

Barry town's last salute for an unsung hero

Cafe could prove a life-saver

School gets a life-saving defibrillator

Father Ben Andrews, who conducted the funeral service, said: “Bryan to me had his fingers in lots of pies. He was one of the first people I met when I came to Barry eight years ago and often when the phone would go it would be Bryan and I knew I could cancel the next 30 minutes. It would often go like, “Just to give you the heads up,” or “I ‘got an idea, just want to run it past you.” And if I bumped into him in Morrisons that was it. I just want to say it is an immense privilege and honour to be part of today.”

Retired, Welsh Ambulance Service, community first responder officer and friend, Tony Rossetti, delivering the eulogy, said: “We all know he’d be wondering what all the fuss is about today.

“He was a man of few words in his texts which sort of enticed you to make that phone call. My simple wish right now would be to have another five minutes with him. Oh, and could he talk, oh yes.”

Referring to the many online tribute, Mr Rossetti said: “A couple of my favourites, “I will miss his five minute phone calls that always ended up lasting an hour,” and “There will be no peace upstairs, Bryan will be organising up there already. On my first day I met Bryan I knew he was a force of nature. He was one of the longest serving CFRs in Wales and the most dedicated team co-ordinator.

“He was also without question the busiest volunteer we had – attending more calls than any other volunteer across Wales. He also played a key role in supporting the introduction of defibrillators into Wales. He even managed to place one at the undertakers which we often laughed about. He also delivered many training sessions in basic life support and defibrillation. His contribution to saving lives in Wales cannot be overstated. He worked at what he loved every day. A part of Barry was lost on June 6. I know you will be busy teaching CPR to the angels, but I’m sure you will pause and on occasion you will smile down and your family and the rest of us.”

Further tributes have come from friends and colleagues.

Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust chief executive, Jason Killens said: “Bryan was a stalwart CFR in Barry and a great mentor to the CFR community across Wales. He was the epitome of a dedicated volunteer and had made a huge contribution to the Welsh Ambulance Service, and his local community, having saved countless lives since qualifying as a CFR back in 2004.”

Cardiff Bus operations and commercial director, Gareth Stevens said: “Bryan work worked with us for just over a year and was a valued member of our driving team. Bryan displayed all the attributes that made him a great ambassador for us whilst fulfilling his role. He was a great friend to his colleagues across the organisation and, indeed, helped a colleague who needed urgent assistance not long into his time with us. For these reasons, along with his cheery disposition and wide-ranging work he did within his local community, he will be missed.”

RBL Poppy Appeal organiser, Teresa Goodwin, together with husband and appeal co-organiser Roy, said: “Bryan was our friend, a special friend. Outside of the Poppy Appeal, we laughed, cried and drank homebrew with fish and chips together. He was a dedicated, selfless, kind and generous individual, a special person, a special friend.”

For more tributes, see barryanddistrictnews.co.uk on Tuesday.