A celebrated cartoonist from Shropshire whose work appeared in national and international newspapers and magazines has died at the age of 84.

Doug Davies signed his cartoons "Abel" - his middle name - and they appeared in the likes of the Daily Mirror, the Sun, and the Daily Star, and magazines such as Private Eye and Punch.

Doug, a retired builder, also had a published book, and puzzles in national papers. 

Moving with his wife and young family to a derelict house in Edstaston, near Wem, in 1974, he set about renovating the property almost singlehandedly to create a family home, and it was about this time that he started drawing in earnest having learnt through a postal correspondence class while a teenager.  

The whole family was thrilled for him when, after months of sending speculative drawings, he sold his first cartoon to the Sun. With the original framed and hung on the wall and the cheque cashed there was no looking back.

What followed was years of drawing and selling single cartoons, with jokes borrowed from Doug’s time on building sites and, of course, family life.  

Working in his studio, he expanded his repertoire to include regular cartoon strips with characters including "Justin Fun" and quizzes such as Moviegram which ran in the Daily Mirror for several years. Commercial commissions followed and he worked for large organisations, regularly contributing to in-house and customer magazines as well as for sales materials across the UK.

His proudest moment was the publication of his book "No Tar," a collection of inspiring cartoons to help people give up smoking. He dedicated it "To Flo" – his wife Annie’s first name – in an in-joke between the two of them. They would enjoy over 60 years of marriage.

Membership of the Cartoonist Club of Great Britain meant annual conventions to Butlin's in Pwllheli where he made lifelong friendships as well as an annual pilgrimage to London to the Golden Joker award held in The Cartoonist pub just off Fleet Street.

Throughout this time Doug also worked in construction, firstly in partnership with his brother Bernard and then for the MOD at Tern Hill helping to maintain the barracks.  He retired in the 1990s to focus on drawing and to enjoy rural life.  

With the dark skies of Shropshire being perfect for astronomy, he built a seven-inch Newtonian telescope and a revolving observatory in the garden.

He is survived by wife Annie, children Paul and David, and grandchildren Kathryn, Romi and Erin.

The funeral is at Emstrey crematorium on January 12 at 12.30pm.

Doug was born in Staffordshire in December 1940, but the family moved to Whixall, near Wem, when he was a young boy.

After leaving school and starting work at Brown's of Wem, he met Annie and they lived in Lyneal before marrying in nearby Colemere in March 1964.

Paul was born in 1970 and David in 1972 which meant they needed their own place, so they moved to the ramshackle house in Edstaston with no mains water, sewerage, back door, kitchen or bath, which he proceeded to do up.  

Son Paul said: "He was, to those lucky enough to know him, an intelligent, interesting and funny man who knew a lot about a lot of things.  And quite a bit about the rest."