RON “Big G” Cuthbertson passed away peacefully on April 21, 2026 at the age of 99, a man whose life was a remarkable journey from the perilous waters of WWII to the quiet, colourful streets of Crediton.

A veteran of the Royal Navy, Ron entered the Boys Service in 1943 and served on several ships before joining HMS Rodney in 1945.

Following the end of WWII, Ron deployed to the minesweeper, HMS Providence, clearing mines from outside Hong Kong Harbour and up the coast off the Chinese Mainland before continuing minesweeping duties off the North African coast.

Ron was invalided out as a young man due to TB and commenced employment with the Ministry of Defence as a Radio Technician at RAF Hullavington in Wiltshire.

While Ron was stationed at RAF Hullavington, he met and married his first wife, Tessa Watts.

They spent some idyllic years around the Gloucestershire village of Hawkesbury Upton before being moved to Camborne in Cornwall.

Following a two-year deployment in Aden, he returned to the ocean waves for a two-year detachment to the Ocean Weather Service based in Greenock, Scotland, before concluding his professional life at the Met Office headquarters in Bracknell.

He remained a proud and active member of the Exeter branch of the Royal Naval Association and the Algerines Association.

In 1999, Ron moved to Crediton, where he became a local legend for his "speedy walks" up Searle Street.

Clad in his iconic Tilly hat with its rainbow band, Ron was a man of the elements; many neighbours watched in awe as he marched through the Devon snow in bare feet and Birkenstock sandals, a routine he maintained well into his mid-nineties.

Ron was deeply invested in his community, contributing his time to Be Heard for Mental Health, Devon Senior Voice, Crediton Hospital League of Friends, and the Crediton Photography Club.

From his early days at Penton Bungalow on Pounds Hill to his final years at Clifford Gardens, he was a man of character, fierce independence, and quiet resilience.

He was a computer expert, not just at how to use them but how to construct them, and when not walking up the hills around the village or attending one of the many groups he belonged to, he was sat in his office engrossed in the technology of his home computers.

He was inspired by his nephew, Steven Cuthbertson, to delve into his family history and spent many hours learning about his earlier family, who they were, where they lived and what they did.

Ron loved exploring the local countryside, enjoying flora and fauna as well as tucking into a fish and chip lunch on the beach at Budleigh Salterton or supping a pint in The Duck at Yeoford.

Ron is now reunited with his beloved first wife Tessa. He leaves behind his daughter Susan, son Nigel, his four grandchildren and five great grandchildren, his partner of 27 years, Paula Kovacs and her son Mathew.

Fair winds and following seas, Ron Cuthbertson piped over the side for his last voyage…