Retired tobacconist and confectioner Leslie Smallbone died in the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, after a short illness, aged 86.
Smallbone Recreation Ground in Britwell Road, Didcot, was named after Mr Smallbone's father, Charles, a member of the former Didcot Parish Council, in recognition of his service to the community. Following the death of his father, Mr Smallbone and his mother opened a shop, LC Smallbone, at their home in Broadway, Didcot, in 1935 -- becoming a greengrocer, florist, tobacconist and confectioner.
Mr Smallbone's daughter Kathryn said that, for a time, the shop also included a cafe.
She said: "We sold ice cream made with cream from my father's own cows which were kept on a field which is now Didcot Town Football Club."
Miss Smallbone and her late mother Betty also helped in the shop, before Mr Smallbone retired in 1986.
As a young man, Mr Smallbone played cricket and rugby and the family hosted a private tennis club on their two tennis courts.
Mr Smallbone was a member of Didcot Chamber of Commerce and a Freemason.
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