Funeral held for popular Newport barber Keith Gammon

Keith Gammon, who ran KC Gammons, died on Wednesday, January 19.

On Friday, Mr Gammon’s family, friends, and customers lined Corporation Road outside his barbers to say their final farewells.

A service was then held at St John's Church in Maindee, before moving on to Langstone Vale Crematorium.

Speaking after his death, Mr Gammon’s family said: "Everyone in the area knew Mr Gammon. He would stand at the shop front door and talk and smile to anybody walking past. He would make a point in the mornings to say hello to the children on the way to school, to encourage them and wish them a good day, always with a big smile.

"Those children, now adults still to this day tell the story of the happy barber always smiling and now bring their children to the salon themselves.

"He was then what people call now 'a true people person'.

"Keith always said he worked not for himself but for his community and to give his family a better life than he had, due to the war. He always believed if you worked hard, you could play a lot harder."

Tributes have been paid to popular Newport barber Keith Gammon.

Mr Gammon also loved to travel, his family said.

"He was lucky enough to have visited 47 different countries. He loved Wales, even though he was English, because it is where he met Avril, his wife of 51 years.

"When not travelling the world in his spare time, he loved the camping lifestyle and spent many adventures with the caravan in tow."

Mr Gammon was born in London, the youngest of three brothers. During World War Two he was evacuated with his cousins to Llanhilleth, and after the war his parents relocated to Newport.

Mr Gammon's father set up a barbering business on Corporation Road in 1948.

Mr Gammon decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and trained to become a qualified master barber.

Keith Gammon ran Gammon's Barbers for more than 60 years.

He moved around the UK and ended up working as a barber in the Royal Navy on the aircraft carriers the Ark Royal and the Eagle, where he once styled the hair of the vice admiral of the Navy at the time, Lord Mountbatten.

After a decade he returned home after the death of his parents to take over the salon. It became the longest established barbers in Newport.

Mr Gammon and Avril, a teacher a Monnow Junior School for almost 40 years, had two children - Leigh and Brian.

According to his family, the only day he ever closed was when he married Avril in July 1971.

Mr Gammon started to take a back seat in the business to spend time with his family, but even at 86, he could still be seen daily in the shop.