Tributes paid to 'kind, thoughtful' councillor

TRIBUTES have been pouring in following the death of a Carmarthenshire councillor who had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for nearly three years.

- SHAURYA SHAURYA

In a tribute by his family, Gary Robert Jones, the councillor for the Llangennech ward in Llanelli, has been described as an “avid reader, campaigner, socialist and a labour stalwart”.

The late councillor leaves behind his wife, Cara, two daughters Molly and Rowen, his sister Dawn, brother David, and son-in-law Matt after he passed away on Tuesday, May 27 at the Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli.

Mr Jones grew up in Beaufort, Gwent, where he followed in his father Bob’s footsteps after finishing school by taking up a job at the Ebbw Vale steelworks as a tin plater.

His family moved when the steelworks closed and started a new life in Llangennech, near to the Trostre steelworks. Remembering the late councillor, the family said: “He was a trade unionist, Labour Party stalwart and loved rugby. Most of all, he was an avid and informed reader, and a collector of military paraphernalia.”