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He worked tirelessly for members of the Royal British Legion, the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and other organisations.
His dedication earned him the title of Citizen of the Year in his home town of Witney in 2011, before he was honoured with another award from the then Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
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The Royal couple, now King and Queen, named him a Diamond Champion, a major decoration launched during the former Queen’s diamond jubilee year to reward those doing exceptional work in their communities.
Mr Deaney laid Poppy wreaths at Remembrance Day ceremonies at Witney and organised Poppy collections in the town for many years.
As a member of the Oxford-Leiden twinning association, he regularly travelled to the Dutch city to lay a Poppy wreath on Dutch Remembrance Day in May.
Other organisations he supported included the Royal Air Forces’ Association (RAFA), Age Concern and the Canal Zoners.
He became well known in Witney after working as an electrician for 40 years with the Southern Electricity Board.
He met his future wife Janet at a dance at Filkins during Army leave in the early 1950s. He was then posted to Egypt and they didn’t meet again for 18 months. During that time, he wrote to her every day and they resumed their romance when he returned to civilian life.
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They married at St Mary’s Church, Witney, in 1956, living at Filkins before moving to Curbridge Road, Witney, in 1965. They celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary there in April.
Mr Deaney’s life and contribution to society was celebrated at a packed North Oxfordshire Crematorium. His coffin was escorted by standard bearers from the Royal British Legion and the Canal Zoners.
He leaves his widow Janet, sons Chris and Mark, daughter Katherine, nine grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.
The family summed up his contribution to life by saying at the ceremony: “He worked hard, got things done and helped many, many people.”
Obituary by John Chipperfield
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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