Death of well respected Indian born surgeon who made his home in England after marrying a Padiham nurse

Dr Devinder Pal Singh Sidhu married Julie, his wife of almost 28 years, after they met when they worked together at Burnley General Hospital.

Julie travelled out to India where the couple had a traditional Sikh wedding followed by a reception back in England where they made their home in Higham, close to Julie's relatives in Padiham.

Born in Moga, Punjab, Dr Sidhu grew up in a small village called Bhagta and attended the local school before going on to study at boarding school in Moga when he was 15.

He eventually went on to study medicine at Amitsar Medical College and one of his first jobs was at a Christian medical college in Karala where Dr Sidhu clamed he enjoyed the best Christmas ever!

One of six children, Dr Sidhu came from a closeknit family and even though they all lived in different countries they kept in touch and often met togethjer in India and Canada.

Dr Sidhu came to England in 1970 and worked at hospitals all over the country specialising in orthopaedics. A Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Dr Sidhuu was also awarded a fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons' faculty of Accident and Emergency Medicine.

He worked at Blackburn and Burnley hospitals on a regular basis, as a registrar in orthopaedics at Blackburn and for eight years as associate specialist at Burnley General Hospital from 1991 until his retirement 10 years ago.

Dr Sidhu loved his work as an orthopaedic surgeon and especially enjoyed carrying out knee and hip replacements. Talented and strong it became a standing joke that the techniques required for his role as a surgeon made him an excellent DIYer also.

A passionate gardener, until only a few months before his death Dr Sidhu insisted on cutting the lawn himself and the hedge was famed for being meticulously maintained.

Dr Sidhu loved to entertain and would often host friends for dinner, cooking his signature dish, tandori chicken with green chutney. Amd when guests would ask what the secret ingredient was that made the dish such a speciality he would say "it was made with love.'

Family was everything to Dr Sidhu and he made many trips to India with Julie and their daughter India who is 17.

On his final trip before his death the family visited Delhi, Agra and and Jaipiur, the three Indian cities collectively known as the Golden Triangle

They were joined by Dr Sidhu's brother Surinder and sister Kanwaljeet and poignantly it was India's first time seeing the Taj Mahal.

A very spiritual man Dr Sidhu attended weekly prayer at Gudwara Sikh temple in Blackburn, until his illness prevented him. He was also a keen supporter of St Leonard's Church in Padiham,where Julie has been a lifelong member.

Julie said: "Having a mult-cultural and mult-faith family Devinder had friends from many different faiths and he will be very sadly missed by many people."

Dr Sidhu was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a disease that affects the lungs, 18 months ago. He fought a dignified and courageous battle against the condition for which there is no cure.

A traditional Sikh ceremony took place followed by a funeral at St Leonard's.

Donations in Dr Sidhu's memory can be made to Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis c/o Bertwistle's Funeral Service at 46, Burnley Road, Padiham.