"HE was my John. Nothing spectacular, just a very good man."
These are the words of Brenda Elliott, who lost her husband to cancer aged 76 on February 9.
An "honest" and "hard-working" grandfather from Kelvedon Hatch, Mr Elliott played a part in building the M11 and Heathrow Airport's terminal three.
He was the skipper of Fyfield Cricket Club and also played football for his village team.
Mr Elliott was born into a Fyfield farming family on September 9, 1936.
He grew up on Clarke's Farm in Dunmow Road, before moving to Wood End Farm in Abbess Roding, where he ploughed fields and scattered seeds until the 1960s.
He stayed in agriculture for a few more years before he took up a job building roads across the country.
Working for various construction firms, Mr Elliott travelled the nation building motorways and A roads. Before retiring in 2002, he also worked at landfill sites.
The sports-mad former Essex County Cricket Club member met "his girl" Brenda in 1963 at The Bull pub in Fyfield, which was then run by her parents.
The happy couple tied the knot three years later and soon after she bore him three children.
Mrs Elliott, 76, said her husband was never one to complain about anything and he was always happy and content with his lot.
"He was just a happy man. You never heard him moan about anything, he was just content.
"Before he died, my son David bought him a digital picture frame and we had old pictures put on it – it was a Christmas present.
"He sat looked at this and he had tears in his eyes and he said to me 'you know what, girl? We have had a bloody good life really."
She added: "I had lots and lots of cards and most of them said what a lovely man he was.
"He was just John to me – nothing spectacular – he just did the best he could with what was handed to him."
Mrs Elliott said that, a few weeks after his death, she is still coming to terms with his passing.
She said: "It doesn't really hit home for quite a long while, it's only just over a month and you still sort of turn around and speak to someone even though they are not there, it's a funny feeling and difficult to explain."
The couple's eldest daughter, Jacqueline, 46, also paid tribute to her dad.
She said: "He was an all-round good bloke, very reliable, and you knew that if you went to him for some advice, he would give it to you straight."
In November 2011, Mr Elliott was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite courses of chemotherapy, he died at home on February 9.
He leaves behind his wife, his children Jacqueline, Anne, 43 and David, 40, and grandchildren Sarah, 15, Daniel, 13, Deanna, 13, and James, 10.
