THERE was a flowering cherry tree in the yard and one year, miraculously, it produced cherries. Never before and never since.

Turns out, Ronnie Martin picked up the cherries at the cash n carry and spent three hours hanging them for the benefit of his family.

That's just one of the stories so numerous they could fill two funerals, explained his family, who said their final farewells on Friday to the beloved father, grandfather and community fixture in Clydebank.

When he needed to make a double bass, he soaked the wood in the bath for a week so it would bend, driving his family down to the community baths in the meantime. It was bigger than it should have been, but made great music for many years for anyone who would turn up at the door.

Every week Mrs Kennedy would come into the Faifley shop Ronnie and his brother owned for almost 30 years and Ronnie would ask, "Oh Margaret, was the hairdresses shut?"

Since Ronnie's death on April 12, there has been an outpouring of such stories about his laughs, community spirit and love of family.

Born Ronald Wallace Mundell Martin on February 13, 1931, in Oran Street, Maryhill, to Isabel and John (known as Dearie and Sonny), he was the youngest of four with James, Stanley and Isabel.

Growing up in Temple, he was introduced to shop work by his parents who owned a successful newsagent.

He was involved in Scouts and met life-long pals with whom he later went skiing in Italy and Austria. Ronnie had a white TR2 sports car and played a homemade tea chest bass in a local Skiffle group, "The Knights".

But he eventually made the proper double bass in the bath.

Daughter Gillian explained: "It was slightly bigger than it should have been - the world's largest given my dad was only 5'8"."

When Ronnie later started dating Wilma, if playing a gig, she would take the bus and the double bass joined him in the two-seater.

Ronnie was an apprentice joiner before doing his National Service in the RAF. As a crane driver, he once drove it under a bridge that was too small - and reversed out and didn't tell anyone.

He and Wilma lived in Knghtswood after they were married on September 1, 1959, sharing space with her dad in Moorhouse Avenue, later welcoming Ronald Jnr in 1961.

The family moved to Cleddans Crescent in Hardgate in 1962 and welcomed son Allan the next year and Gillian in 1965.

It was around 1960 that Ronnie and his brother Stan opened a shop in Lennox Drive, Faifley, where staff included Betty Collins and Maisie Morrison. He later had a shop in Faifley Road with Nan Maley and Mary Walsh amongst the employees.

Many memories have been shared online about Ronnie, spending hours looking at Airfix soldiers or the gadgets, or visits to see the real Santa - it was never Ronnie or Stan in costume.

Gillian said: "My dad was a terrible hoarder. He had prams from all of us. Black out paper. You name it, my dad kept it. At one stage there were 24 internal doors in the garage.

"He loved making something. He loved the shop, the customers, the chat. Everyone in Faifley know the Martins' shop. They would say how glamorous my mum was and the banter from my dad."

Ronnie was artistic and musical, with the double bass lasting many years until it collapsed and was replaced with more annoying bongo drums.

Last year, Ronnie and Wilma moved into the Edinbarnet Nursing Home where they became "lord and lady of the manor", loved by staff, who Ronnie would always get singing.

And music was part of the funeral at Clydebank Crematorium on Friday including "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Street Where You Live" and "Deep in the Heart of Texas" - complete with clapping.

"I think my dad just liked people," said Gillian. "Even when he became ill he loved the chat. He love a joke, loved a drink, always had dogs. He worked long hours but he always had time for you. Our house you could turn up and get fed a full dinner.

"He was just a people person."

Ronnie is survived by his wife Wilma, children Ronald Jnr, Allan and Gillian and grandchildren Graham, Kirsty, Adam, Eilidh, Tom and Rory.