FRIENDS, family and colleagues shared their memories of Daily Echo production chief Chris Parnell at a packed celebration of his life yesterday.

Chris, who died of lung cancer aged 46, had laid plans for his own funeral, which was held at Colehill Woodland Burial Ground.

Chris had joined the Daily Echo Bournemouth in 1998, becoming its chief sub-editor and, later, head of multimedia production for Newsquest Dorset.

Karen Parnell, his wife of 17 years, told of their times together, including a six-month trip to Australia and New Zealand when Chris was in remission from Hodgkins lymphoma.

“Chris was my best friend, not just my husband – the one person that really understood me,” she said.

His 12-year-old daughter Emily said: “I will always remember your special smile, your sense of fun, your kind and loving |nature and how you always gave in.”

Daughter Liv, nine, described Chris as “the best dad I could ever wish for” and remembered how “you let me do things Mum said I couldn’t”.

She added: “I love you, Dad. I miss you, Dad.”

Chris’s brother Ed shared memories of their close friendship and joint love of Norwich City football club and bird watching. He remembered Chris asking him recently: “Will you speak at my funeral and tell everyone what a great bloke I was?”

The Echo’s former deputy editor Ed Perkins recalled Chris’s days as chief sub-editor at Bournemouth.

“He loved to play the game of being a curmudgeon when everyone knew he wasn’t,” he said.

“He was a gentle, kind man who loved a chuckle.”

He told how Chris could always come up with a great headline under pressure and how colleague Andrew Chappell had described Bruce Springsteen-loving Chris as being “born to pun”.

Family friend Claire Baker told of happy times, describing Chris as “a devoted family man, a lover of nature, a master of words, the ultimate king of irony”.

Family celebrant Janice Smith said it was important for friends and families to keep sharing memories of Chris.

“Chris lives on in the stories that you can tell,” she said.

“His warmth, his love and his values, they were given out and shared around you all.

“They have become a living part of you, the people who were close to him.”

She added: “Chris is not just part of your past. Each one of you carries something important of Chris with you into the future.”