TRIBUTES have been paid to former Marlborough businessman Simon Dobie who died in America on Saturday aged 48.

Mr Dobie, who was a keen sportsman and was a director in an international information company, leaves a wife Katherine and two daughters Claudia, six and Evelyn, two.

He was known as a determined leader with a larger-than-life personality who was born in November 1968 in Marlborough.

An obituary provided by the Williamson Memorial Funeral Home in Franklin, Tennessee said: "He performed at county, regional and national levels across many sports, including football, rugby, golf, basketball and Aussie Rules football.

"Simon also shared his family’s love of nature, especially bird watching. In 2005, he met his wife Katherine in England and in 2007, he joined her in America to start a new adventure together.

"With a passion for history and preservation, Simon and Katherine thoughtfully restored the Mordecai Puryear home, included on the National Register of Historic Places.

"There, they lovingly raised their daughters and entertained often, sharing their life and this special part of Franklin’s heritage with others. Simon will be most remembered as a doting father and husband, deeply devoted to his family both here and abroad."

He also leaves his parents Anthony and Margaret Dobie; his sister and brother-in-law Helen and Mark Llewelyn and their children Thomas and Benjamin; and his brother Paul Dobie and his partner Katy Pearce.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The National Trust -nationaltrust.org.uk/donate - an organisation dear to Mr Dobie's heart.