FORMER Cherwell district councillor, family man and McVitie’s biscuits salesman Paul O’Sullivan has died, aged 87.

The great-grandfather, who had lived in Steeple Aston since 1935, was a member of Cherwell District Council for 20 years and was also appointed the council’s champion for older people in 2012.

A keen footballer, he played for Steeple Aston. He also enjoyed making wine and planting trees and daffodils around the village.

Friends and colleagues described him as trustworthy, humble and a man with “true community spirit”.

The eldest of three brothers, Paul Anthony John O’Sullivan was born on December 7, 1927, in Oxford. The family lived in Kidlington for five years before moving to Steeple Aston.

Mr O’Sullivan attended Dr Radcliffe’s School in the village until he was 15 and then joined the RAF at the age of 18. He worked on air frames and later in maintenance at Upper Heyford airbase, where he and his brother David also repaired Spitfire engines.

After leaving the RAF, he spent a short period with Harris’s bacon factory in Oxford, then worked for McVitie’s Biscuits for more than 25 years, becoming their top salesman.

He and Dorothy June Palmer married on June 8, 1957, in Steeple Aston Church, a partnership that lasted 45 years until her death in 2002.

They had three children, Sonia, Karen and Desmond.

After taking early retirement from McVitie’s Mr O’Sullivan became a part-time security guard at Kidlington Airport.

From 1994 to 2014 he was a Conservative district councillor for Cherwell, representing Deddington.

Mr O’Sullivan is survived by his children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He died on December 3 and his funeral was held on December 21 at Steeple Aston Church.