St Neots man Michael Priestley passed away on March 17 after a short illness, he was aged 86.

Mr Priestley, described by well-wishers who knew him as “a true gent”, was well known in the area as he ran a driving school and taught road safety. In 1962 he started the St. Neots School of Motoring, which had the catchy slogan Ring 55 and Learn to Drive (telephone numbers were only two digits back then).

The business closed in 2002 when he retired. His patience as an instructor and witty repartee were much appreciated, and it was not uncommon for him to have taught multiple generations of the same family.

The eldest of nine children, Michael was born in Boston, Lincolnshire, attending Boston Grammar School until the age of 16. He then worked in telecommunications with the Post Office. He met his wife Rita at age 17 at the Gliderdrome rollerskating rink in Boston. They were married for 65 years.

At 18 he completed two years of National Service with The Royal Signals. Michael and Rita married in 1956 and moved to Peterborough before finally settling in St Neots in 1960, when Michael became the town’s telephone engineer.

In 1963 he began a 32-year career in Road Safety, working this job during the day and giving driving lessons around it. He had many responsibilities, but he is perhaps most remembered for visiting schools and teaching children how to ride a bike safely. After working for both Huntingdon and Peterborough councils, he finally held the position of senior assistant road safety officer for Cambridgeshire from 1990 to 1995.

Outside work he was a dedicated member of the local community.

He joined St Neots Conservative Club in 1961 and became chairman in 1974, a position he held for 26 years before becoming president for a number of years. He also served on St Neots Town Council during the late seventies and was a deputy mayor for a time.

He leaves wife Rita, son Simon, daughter Caroline, and grandchildren Robin, Molly, Oliver, Bertie, and Eddie.

The funeral will take place at 11.30am on Friday, April 22 at Bedford Crematorium. No dark clothes; family flowers only, but donations to the Woodlands Cancer Charity at Hinchingbrooke hospital.

The funeral will be live-streamed for those unable to attend. If you wish to pass on condolences, contact Regency Funeral Directors on: 01480 759408.