Respected surgeon dies aged 84

Born in Howrah, India, Mr Duari qualified from medical school in Calcutta in 1954.

Shortly after he moved to Britain and gained fellowships in surgery in 1959 and 1963.

In 1965 he married nurse Margaret and the couple had two children, Meena and Leela, as well as four grandchildren.

The couple lived in Burnley and later settled in Colne.

Mr Duari’s first job was as a house officer at the former Hartley Hospital in Colne before becoming a registrar and later consultant at Burnley General Hospital from 1978 until he retired in 1994.

Daughter Meena Tomlinson said: “Dad was a really calm, really pleasant man who was extremely popular and quite old-fashioned in the way he went about his work.

“He was very dedicated to his job and also worked for short spells on children’s surgery in Edinburgh and on chest surgery in Devon.

“Burnley was his home, though, and he later became a trustee and supporter of Pendleside Hospice, and was involved in its formation.

“Away from work he was a keen supporter of Burnley Football Club and was a season ticket holder since 1959.”

Mrs Tomlinson said her father also enjoyed looking after his grandchildren during his retirement and also learned Italian and French, which he put to good use on holidays.

He was also a keen supporter of Burnley and Colne Cricket Clubs.

His funeral was held at a packed Burnley crematorium on January 8th.