One of Marlow’s most eccentric characters was given a funeral nearly three months after his passing.

John Ian Richmond, who was known as Ian or Rocky, died on June 13 due to renal failure, hypothermia, a muscle wasting disease and a form of a blood poisoning after he escaped from a care home in Goring.

And after he was found in an undisclosed location, he passed away at the Royal Berkshire Hospital where it was discovered that the 77-year-old rugby enthusiast had no next of kin.

This meant he was due to have a pauper’s funeral, which is organised by the state.

However, his closest friends decided to give Ian the send-off that he deserved and managed to raise approximately £8,000 for a private service.

The funeral took place at the Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham on Friday, August 30, with the wake occurring at the Marlow Rugby Club.

Andrew Webb, who was one of the organisers of the funeral told the Bucks Free Press: “What you’ve seen here today are the many generations of people who are involved at Marlow Rugby Club, who have put money in, to make sure that Ian, or Rocky, didn’t have a pauper’s funeral.

“He was a handful, but we loved him. He was loved by many and he was feared by quite a few.

“He was one of those people that we were having a few beers with him at the bar, you could be in trouble, but if you were a new/young player at the rugby club, he would put his arm around you and would give all the advice that a person needed.

“Ian was highly intelligent, loved horse racing and was a deep man but was also unpredictable."

Ian was born in the town and lived on his parents’ farm where he fell in love with animals, particularly horses and pigs.

He attended Borlase School where he achieved four A-Levels and earned a maths scholarship at Leeds University.

However, after completing his studies, he made the hard decision to work on his parent's farm due to parental pressure, which lead him to have a very fractious relationship with his father.

And upon leaving the farm, he worked as a bricklayer and laid down the patio at the Marlow Rugby Club.

Andrew added: “The turnout has been incredible.

“People who knew Ian but have since left Marlow with some having emigrated, have donated to the funeral costs because he was loved by many.

“The money that has been left over from the funeral will go to the charities that Ian was part of.

“We’re happy. We’ve done the right thing."

People who attended the funeral were asked to wear bright coloured clothing and a hat, which was Ian’s regular dress sense.