THE family of a sports-mad former GP in Oswestry say he will be missed after his death on Boxing Day, aged 88.

Dr Michael Elder passed away over the Christmas period and leaves a legacy of laughter, family, friendship and tales that sometimes incorporated his sporting love.

Daughter Judith McHugh, on behalf of brother Mark Elder, said that her dad had a sporting legacy even as late as his early 80s, and says he will be missed.

"Dad was in the paper about six years ago for winning a golf tournament, the Gittins Cup at aged 82," she said.

"The whole of Oswestry talked about it and loved that he was in the paper – he was member of Oswestry Golf Club and he knocked a load of people out.

"This shows he lived his life as full as he could – he was Arsenal, football and sports mad.

"He finished as a GP at 60 which is probably a good thing as he was able to concentrate on all these things he loves, but he loved being a doctor as well.

"Dad was an old-fashioned doctor before it turned into a business – that wasn't for him as he enjoyed treating people and making them sure he was ok.

"He was a genius at spreading his time across his family, his job and his interests but he was a great supportive and very competitive dad.

"You played golf against him, you had to win – he would beat you so you had to win and playing football, you had to get the ball off him.

"His grandchildren, all four of them, adored him and he adored them too, especially my eldest granddaughter who thought he was the funniest man in the world.

"Everyone is going to miss him – he has friends he went to prep school with more than 80 years ago, friends from university."

Judith added that her dad was a GP at what became the Cambrian Medical Centre, but mainly worked out of Willow Street, and followed Arsenal across Europe, including hugging Tony Adams on the players' plane back from their 1995 European Cup Winners Cup victory.

She added he famously stitched up a player's head at Oswestry Town who then went on to nod home the winner.

His funeral will be at St Oswald's Parish Church on Wednesday, January 19 at 2pm.