Long-serving Dudley councillor buried on his 76th birthday
Tributes have been paid to a long-serving Dudley councillor at his funeral, on what would have been his 76th birthday.
Farewells were said to George Davies by hundreds of mourners, including councillors, mayors and MPs, at Coseley's St Chad's Church yesterday.
Among the hundreds who attended the service was Dudley North MP Ian Austin and Coseley councillor Melvyn Mottram, who both read eulogies.
Mr Austin, who had been friends with Councillor Davies for 25 years, said: "He was a huge figure in his ward and helped thousands of families over the years.
"He represented Coseley with great pride and passion. He loved Coseley, he loved the people who lived here and worked so hard on their behalf.
"I remember persuading him to have an answerphone so he and his family didn't have to deal with everything but he always ignored it and picked the phone up anyway.
I learned so much from George as a young councillor – the hours spent talking about the council or politics.
"He also made a huge contribution to the fire authority.
"He was known throughout the council as an honest politician, a dedicated socialist and a man of legendary courage." Councillor Mottram said: "George was a truly great man. He was a very friendly person and had friends from both sides of the chamber.
"He was of the firm belief that politics should stay in the chamber. He breathed and lived politics and he was a mine of information.
"He was hugely respected and held in high esteem. Politics ran in his veins. George said things as they were and pulled no punches. He treated everyone the same."
Councillor Davies, who represented Coseley spanning five decades, leaves his wife Joyce, three children, seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
Councillor Davies represented the Coseley East ward from 1973 to 1976 on Dudley Council and again from 1985 to 2013 for the Labour party.
He was Mayor of Dudley in 2000/01. During his time on the council, Councillor Davies served on numerous committees, including as chairman of the housing committee from 1990 to 1999.
Firefighters formed a guard of honour at the funeral as Councillor Davies was also a member of the region's fire authority for 25 years.
