WARM tributes have poured in for the chairman of Brace’s Bakery, who has died aged 96.

Colin Brace OBE, the grandson of bakery founder George, worked for the business from the end of the Second World War until the days before his death last Monday.

Mr Brace, who lived in Pontllanfraith all his life, was awarded an OBE in 2013 in recognition of his life’s work at Brace’s Bakery and for his commitment to his family and community. 

His son, Jonathan, who now runs the firm with brother Mark, said: “He will be missed by the family. "But it’s also a big loss to the baking industry. 

“There are not many people with his amount of experience. He was always working. It was his life.”

Mr Brace said the family have been taken aback by the tributes which had flooded in.

After the bakery shared the news of Mr Brace’s death on its Facebook page, more than 100 people posted their condolences.

“It’s been heartwarming to see how respected he was,” added his son.

The family say they are expecting up to 1,000 people to want to attend his funeral, which will take place on Friday March 9, at 11.30am. 

They have hired a room at the Celtic Manor Hotel where the service will be screened live via a video link, from Langstone Vale Crematorium, in Langstone.

Father-of-three Mr Brace, who attended Monmouth School for Boys, was described by former student Bob Blake as a “lovely man”. 

After leaving Monmouth, Mr Brace enlisted in the army for the Second World War and rose to captain before joining the family business in 1946. 

He took control of the business in 1979, when it was transferred from his father.