Tributes have been paid to a ‘loving father and grandfather’ who died after a suspected heart attack at the wheel.
Anthony Bennett, 62, of Whitaker Street, Accrington passed away on Wednesday, April 29 at Royal Blackburn Hospital after his car crashed into railings near the Grey Horse pub on Whalley Road.
Officers said local CCTV taken from the scene showed Mr Bennett’s Vauxhall Corsa colliding ‘very slowly’ with a set of railings, and said it is believed to have been caused by a heart attack.
The dad-of-two and grandfather-of-eight had a ‘fun, care free sense of humour’ and had a passion for music.
In his professional life Mr Bennett worked as a warehouse operative at Seaways in Altham.
Jayne Shaw, director at Seaways, said that everyone at the company had been left ‘shocked and saddened’ by his death.
She said: “At Seaways Services the family and staff are all saddened and shook by Tony’s sudden passing.
“Tony was so uplifting and dedicated to doing any job with outstanding quality and attention to detail.
“‘Whistle while you work’. This is what Tony did best, we all miss his constant whistling of both old and modern tunes, from the start to the end of a shift, he whistled, Amy Winehouse, Monty Python to name a few.”
Ms Shaw added: “He had a constant supply of daft jokes and punchy one liners, with bright cheery uplifting humour and constant hopes of winning the lottery or Euro millions.
“On his birthday I always bought him a scratch card, and he likewise me. On his last birthday he won £1, this made everyone’s day so much so we tweeted about it.”
All members of staff at the company have asked for time off in order to attend Tony’s funeral.
Ms Shaw added: “When we asked the staff who would like the day off to attend his funeral, it was unanimous that everyone wanted to pay their respects and say goodbye to a lovely work colleague and friend.”
Mr Bennett leaves wife Angela, sons Neil and Stuart, grandson Mason and step grandchildren Daniel, Sophie, Georgia, Matthew, Jake, Charlie and Oliver.
His funeral service was due to take place at 11am, on Thursday, May 7, at Accrington Crematorium, administered by David Ireland, followed by cremation.
