Tributes have been paid to Bryan Hodgson, an honorary lifeboat captain and chef who has died aged 91. Mr Hodgson, who lived in North Shields, was a member of the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) for more than 40 years and worked as a head chef at venues across the North East and Cumbria.
Family tributes
His daughter Susie, who worked alongside him at Hilltop in Cumbria, paid tribute to her father. She said: "We worked side by side each other in the kitchen and we used to play tricks on each other. He was absolutely amazing, he was full of mischief."
Mr Hodgson leaves behind two children, Susie and Paul; two grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. In recent years, he lived with dementia.
Reunion with lifeboat
Susie remembers taking him to the Watch House in Tynemouth, where he was reunited with a lifeboat that he had built in the 1960s. She said: "He was amazed it's still in the watch house down on the quay."
Brigade service
The TVLB thanked Mr Hodgson for his tireless work in emptying collection boxes and untangling and re-packing lines attached to rockets. A spokesperson for the brigade said: "During his service with the brigade, he witnessed the transition from a team focused primarily on Breeches Buoy rescues to a multi-functional rescue team.
"Before mobile phones became commonplace, Bryan, with the help of his wife, Jan, was responsible for ringing the team in the event of a major incident or search – before then coming along to join in with the incident. He had the ability to wake up a brigade member, get their attention, pass the key callout information, and then hang-up in 10 seconds down to a fine art!"
The spokesperson added: "Bryan is fondly remembered by many in the Brigade, and we are all very sad to hear of his passing."
Funeral details
Mr Hodgson's cremation service will take place at 12.45pm on Friday, August 21, at Tynemouth Crematorium.
