The former Vicar of Holy Trinity, Huddersfield, has died aged 92.

The Rev Jim Dearden was born in Royton, Oldham, on August 28, 1922 and became a very keen Boy Scout.

At the outbreak of the Second World War he was so patriotic he wanted to lie about his age and join up but his father, also called James, insisted he wait.

Eventually he went for officer training for the Royal Signals and was posted to the West Africa Rifles. Posted to Burma, he received the Burma Campaign Medal, and was a lifelong member of the Burma Star Association.

Later postings included Malaya and Korea.

In 1948/1949 he was on the team at a Christian Youth Camp at Lee Abbey in Devon when he met his wife Mary, a teacher. The romance flourished and they married in March 1951. Their son Peter was born in December that year, followed by Margaret in 1954 and Stephen in 1956. The following year the family moved to Singapore, and Andrew was born there in 1958. He had seven grandchildren.

Mr Dearden was very involved with the community at St George’s Fellowship in Changi. He also helped out at the local polio hospital. And it was in Singapore that he felt God calling him to join the ministry.

He came home in 1960 to resign, and studied at Wycliffe College, Oxford. In 1962 he was ordained in York Minster and began working as a curate at St Columba’s, Drypool, Hull.

His first solo parish was the Church of the Transfiguration in Hull. He remained there until he moved to Holy Trinity Huddersfield in 1975.

When he retired from there in 1987 he became chaplain to Kirkwood Hospice.

His wife had a stroke in 2005 and he became her carer until her death in 2009. He continued to be involved in the Crossroads Centre, Meltham, and many other local groups.

In April he was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and acknowledged that he could no longer manage at home, so he moved to Helme Hall and settled in to being looked after.

He died on October 11 and left his body to medical research. His daughter Margaret Styles said: “He was very happy there and well cared for. They could not have done more for him.”

A service of thanksgiving will be held at 1.30pm on Saturday, November 8, at St Bartholomew’s, Meltham, followed by refreshments in the Church Hall, Greens End Road.

All are welcome and he left an instruction that people should “wear bright colours and rejoice”.

The Vicar of Meltham, Maureen Read said: “Jim was the wisest man I’ve ever met.

“He would listen to my frustrations around parish ministry and then sit quietly before giving me advice or recounting stories and solutions from his own ministry.

“He has encouraged many people across the parish and always had a listening ear.

“Many people over the years have come to faith because of the witness of Jim.

“He could talk to anybody and make them feel very special – to him and ever more importantly to God.”

The Rev Judith Weston, former chaplain at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, who was his curate for two years said: “Jim was my training incumbent for two years and was a delight and a challenge to work with and I was blessed by his encouragement and support.

“This experience gave me confidence to lead Holy Trinity’s congregation during the first months of the interregnum before Ed Roberts was appointed as the new vicar.

“He was very happy to have the care of Helme Hall as his wife Mary spent her final months there. He was speaking of the goodness of the Lord.

“Despite having cancer of the oesophagus, with all the discomfort of having stents inserted regularly, his trust and faith in the Lord never wavered.”

Mr Dearden was also heavily involved in the Royal British Legion and was Huddersfield’s chaplain for many years.