Family, friends and former colleagues of a printer who worked for newspapers in Falmouth for 50 years, are preparing to say their final farewells following his death at his home in Penryn.

Tony Wyatt worked through the technological revolution which saw newspaper printing develop from type being hand-set and paper being hand-fed into a flatbed press powered by a gas engine to the whole process being computerised.

As a 15-year-old Tony had joined the Cornish Echo as an apprentice during World War II when the paper was produced in Church Street. He moved to the Packet when the Cornish Echo merged with its arch-rival in 1952 and stayed working at its base at Ponsharden (on the site which now houses Lidl) until his retirement in 1993 at the age of 65.

On his retirement Tony said: "It has been an interesting life and I have enjoyed it. Every week is different and there is always a panic on. I have always been an early riser and have been the first man in the office for years."

Tony died at his home in Woodland Rise at the age of 89 on January 23. He had been ill for about 18 months after developing dementia. He leaves his wife, Christine; two sons, Matthew and Steven; daughter-in-law Michelle, and sister, Doreen.

His funeral service will be held at Treswithian Downs crematorium in Camborne, at 2pm on Friday, February 16. His family have requested donations by retiring collection for Dementia UK in lieu of flowers.