Tributes have been paid to a Copeland stalwart who fought tirelessly for his community.

John Woolley was born in Tuam, County Galway and came to England at the age of 19 in 1957. He worked aboard British Railways restaurant cars, before becoming an electrical contractor on the new American embassy in London.

Moving to West Cumbria in 1961, within a week John had met his future wife Sheila. He worked at Sellafield until 1963, the year he and Sheila were married, and worked on the Windscale Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor, performing the last electrical checks of the plant’s commissioning before it was switched on.

Described as a perfectionist, John moved to the Marchon chemical works in Whitehaven, where he spent the rest of his career as an electrician until 1992. He was a trade unionist since he left school, and was awarded a gold medal for long service as an officer of his union, the EETPU.

John will be best remembered for his dedication to the local community in Copeland, having joined the Labour Party shortly after arriving in England. When living in Frizington with his young family, he served on the local amenities committee, and worked to secure a new doctors’ surgery for the village.

As a Labour activist, he worked closely with Jack Cunningham for the 35 years in which Jack represented Copeland in Westminster.

John served on both Copeland Borough Council for 10 years and Cumbria County Council for 20 years. He was Mayor of Copeland 1986/87 and chair of the County Council 2011/12, as well as serving as the chair of Copeland Labour Party for over 20 years from 1990. He was a long-serving member of the Cumbria Police Authority and served on employment and valuation tribunals.

John leaves his wife, Sheila, and his daughters, Jackie and Anne.

His funeral will be held on Tuesday at 11am at St Mary’s Church, Kells, Whitehaven.

Pat Graham, chief executive of Copeland Council: “All at Copeland Council are saddened to learn of John’s death and we extend our sympathies to his family. John was passionate and knowledgeable about local government and the democratic process, and showed great commitment to his local community over many decades.”

Mike McVeigh, leader of the Labour Group on Copeland Council: “John was a man of few words but had a great knowledge about local government – borough and countywide. John was a straight-talking man who presented information with integrity and honesty, and will be a big loss for our community. I send my condolences to John’s wife and family at this sad time.”