CHRIS Parnell was the respected and popular head of production at the Daily Echo as well as a devoted family man.

Chris died aged 46 on October 14 from lung cancer, thought to have been caused by the aggressive treatment he received for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he was in his early 20s.

Chris was born in Spalding, Lincolnshire, to Ken and Lesley Parnell, who both also died of cancer, in 1991 and 1992 respectively. These sad events were to have a large effect on Chris and his younger brother, Ed, 40, who as a result were extremely close.

Chris went to Spalding Grammar School and Wolverhampton Polytechnic, where he studied English and French before spending a year as an English assistant at a school on the outskirts of Paris.

He met his future wife Karen when they were 17 and both working towards the gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. “The local girls’ school invited the boys to ballroom dancing classes. He was rubbish at dancing but he persevered,” remembered Karen.

Chris’s first job in newspapers was as a journalist with the Lincolnshire Free Press. He moved south to be with Karen in 1995 and became a sub-editor with the Southampton Advertiser. The couple married in January 1997.

In 1998, Chris moved to the Daily Echo in Bournemouth, becoming chief sub-editor in 2008. He also wrote columns and was highly commended in the 2008 EDF Energy regional awards for Columnist of the Year. The winner was his editor Neal Butterworth, who had hired Chris at the Southampton Advertiser.

In 2010, he became head of production for all of Newsquest Dorset’s titles, based at Weymouth.

Chris was a lifelong photographer and birdwatcher, travelling miles around the UK at a moment’s notice to see a rare bird when he was younger. More recently he could often be found bird-watching around his ‘local patch’, Longham Lakes. He also travelled abroad extensively on wildlife-watching holidays, including many parts of the USA, Europe, Antarctica and, in 2009, a three-week birding trip around the Australian outback with his brother.

Like his father, he was a fan and former season ticket holder at Norwich City Football Club, and a keen follower of cricket (which he also played at school). He enjoyed music including The Beatles, Nils Lofgren and Bruce Springsteen – travelling all over the UK, and to Paris and Philadelphia, to see The Boss in concert.

Chris was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1989. After apparently successful initial treatment, the condition returned soon after he moved to Dorset in 1995, where he underwent further treatment, including a pioneering stem cell transplant at Royal Bournemouth Hospital. Once in remission, he and Karen spent six months travelling around Australia and New Zealand.

After moving to Colehill in 1997 and having two daughters, Emily, now 12, and Olivia, nine, Chris became involved with St James’ First School, Gaunts Common, volunteering to hear children read and becoming vice-chair of the board of governors.

Karen said: “The girls adored him and he was very much involved in all aspects of their life. He loved watching them perform in their dance school shows at the Lighthouse and as juvenile performers in the Wimborne panto each Christmas.”

Chris was told he had lung cancer this spring but remained positive, continuing to enjoy bird-watching with the help of a mobility scooter, which he manoeuvred like an all-terrain vehicle around Longham Lakes, Holt Heath and Badbury Rings. “He tried to appreciate every day and encouraged us all to take every opportunity,” said Karen. “He was my best friend, not just my husband.”

Chris is also survived by his brother Ed, who said: “Losing Chris is like losing the better part of myself. I’m not sure what we’re going to do now he’s gone.”

His funeral was due to be held today at Colehill’s Woodland Burial Ground.