Since Dad passed away we have been inundated with sympathy cards, flowers and kind words, which have not only comforted us but also shown us what a well-loved, respected man he was. There are 3 ways in which Dad has frequently been described – the life and soul of the party, a true gentleman and a family man. All of us here today will have our own special memories of Dad, but I couldn't agree more with these three descriptions.

Dad was the life and soul of the party – he had a great sense of humour and he loved entertaining and making people laugh. Some of my earliest memories are of Dad at family parties, always centre of attention, and at weddings – one of the first up on the dance floor, playing air guitar to Status Quo or leading the line for Oops Upside Your Head. This didn't change in later life, only the music did.. He was still the first up dancing, and I'm sure anyone who was at my 40th birthday party will never forget his surprise naked butler appearance! He was extremely popular at Universal, where he worked for many years - as a child I used to love going into the office and seeing this sociable, outgoing character, and felt extremely proud he was my Dad.

I think the true gentleman and family man part of Dad go hand in hand. To me he was an incredible role model, and someone I knew I could always turn to for advice and support. Dad thought the world of Mum – they were together over 50 years and although different in many ways, were an amazing couple who have been truly inspirational to me. It is too difficult for Mum to get up and speak at this very sad time but she said she feels like the light of her life has gone out.

Dad also thought the world of us three daughters and his four wonderful grandchildren, and was always there for us. After he passed, my husband Dan reminded me of all the happy memories we would always have and said that one thing he would always remember was how Dad's face lit up when he was surrounded by his family. I asked Luke what he thought of when he thought of his Grandad – he said lots of games, jokes and fun, which pretty well sums it up. Personally I have fantastic early memories of camping trips and cinema visits with Dad, incredible family holidays, and later on the huge support and encouragement he gave me through my university years and beyond. He loved my friends and welcomed them into the family too and always reminded me that it was a wide world out there and gave me the confidence to make the most of it.

I have a lot to thank my Dad for. I've travelled a lot in my life and been lucky enough to live overseas twice. When I was younger Dad went on a trip to Japan – when he came back he didn’t stop talking about it for what seemed like months and although we took the mickey at the time, this definitely planted the seed for travel with me. When I decided to move to Australia, Dad was hugely encouraging (even though it was so far way and this was before the days of email and cheap flights). Our move to Spain, where Dan and I lived and Luke was born, wouldn't have happened without Dad's emotional and financial support at the beginning of that adventure.

I shared his love of good food and wine. When we were younger he would spend whole Saturday afternoons preparing delicious Chinese banquets from scratch, and his Sunday roasts were legendary. That enthusiasm for cooking has passed to me, although sadly none of his gardening skills. I also inherited his drive and competitiveness. As children he would never let us win - be it games of Monopoly, crib or crazy golf. At the time this drove me mad, but it definitely gave me that fighting spirit and I was very competitive academically. Unfortunately though I didn't get Dad's sporting ability – I used to be so proud when he came to my junior school to help with cricket and rounders and show us how it was done, but still remained one of the last to be picked for sporting teams!

Dad had endless generosity of spirit – he could always see the good in people and wanted to look out for and look after those less fortunate than himself. I'd like to think I have inherited some of that and definitely share the political views he loved to voice in heated discussions – don't worry Dad, I promise I will never vote Conservative!

Dad taught me that life is for living and we should always make the most of it as we never know what's round the corner. Sadly the last few months showed us that, but Dad fought bravely until the end. The Sharp family motto, shown on the Sharp coat of arms, is “while I have breath, I hope”. I think Dad embodied this and I appreciate how lucky I am to have had him as my Dad. It's hard to describe how much we'll miss him but I know he'll be watching over us from now on and I hope we can make him proud.