John Corboy shared 51 years of marriage with wife Kerry and they had three sons, Michael, Dan and Peter.
“We were always a bit miffed by all the hype around Dad, because that is how we saw him, as a father and family man,” Peter said.
“He was the epitome of fatherhood, everything I’ve ever learnt I learnt from Dad, he was very generous with his time and taught us everything but never in a lesson form, it was always through example.”
Peter said his father was well read and engaged in current affairs but didn’t have hobbies.
From an early age he had determined that as an orchardist hard work would be rewarded.
“He loved the work and he loved to work hard, which is something he instilled in us, but his hobby was his family.”
Despite moving interstate a decade ago, John kept in touch with family and friends and the progress of Shepparton.
“He invested a lot into the area and was always mindful of how it was going,” Peter said.
The Corboy family will farewell John at a small, private service next week.
11°C