Joseph Gellel, Malta's oldest man, died at 104 yesterday, described by a priest who was close to him as someone "who never tired of living".
Mr Gellel died in his sleep after being hospitalised for bronchitis.
Born in Vittoriosa on August 21, 1905, Mr Gellel was a reference point in his home town. He spent his years as a tailor in Strada Brittanica (now Hilda Tabone Street) to support his wife Rożina and their six children.
"Dad was a worker and he always had a lot of work. I remember him working into the evenings and I used to take him tea," his son Tony recalls.
After years of toil, Mr Gellel retired at 61 and put his heart and soul into the parish church and the village feast. He was well known for his skill in making bandalori (ornamental flags), to which he applied the mastery of his craft, and every year used to collect money for church ornaments in an effort to bring the church to its pre-World War II state.
"He had a lot of enthusiasm," Fr John Avellino, a priest working in the parish, said of Mr Gellel. "He used to come to church every day at 8 a.m. to pray and then stay on for Mass at 8.30."
Twenty years ago, Mr Gellel's wife Rożina passed away. "He was very upset but time heals," their son said.
Known as Peppi, he was "tenacious" and worked hard for what he wanted to achieve. The 104-year-old was still very active. When Pope Benedict XVI came to Malta he was off to Kalkara creek with his walking stick to see the Pontiff cross Grand Harbour to Valletta.
His latest project was to make a big cage for his birds, which he kept on the roof of his house.
His son recounts how last Sunday morning he was on the roof with his birds. However, his bronchitis got the better of him and he went to bed on Sunday afternoon. When his condition worsened, he was taken to hospital, where he slept his last on Monday night.
His funeral takes place today at 2.30 p.m. at St Lawrence parish church, Vittoriosa. His son noted: "The date happens to be the first Wednesday of the St Lawrence novena, a very important day for him."