The family of an amateur dramatics enthusiast are to pay tribute to him at his funeral after he died aged 91.

Great-grandfather Vic Curtis, a former civil servant, lived in Langley Vale from 1948, where he and his wife Joan raised their family and he was a producer, writer, director, actor, fundraiser and a founder member of the Langley Players.

He wrote sketches and full-length comedies, as well as being chairman of the Village Hall Association, before moving to join the Ashtead Players, Fetcham Players and Walton-on-the-Hill Gage Players.

He was part of a theatrical family with his brother David being the first resident designer at the old Leatherhead Theatre, while also working at the Marlowe Theatre, in Canterbury. His other brother Alan worked with great names including Arthur Askey and Charlie Cairoli, and played pantomime villains at the London Palladium.

Relatives will gather at St Stephen-on-the-Downs Church, in Langley Vale, on Tuesday to share their memories of Mr Curtis, who died on September 28. He will be cremated at Randalls Park Crematorium, in Leatherhead.

His civil service career led to him becoming an assistant secretary at the Department for Transport, where he oversaw road safety legislation including pedestrian crossings, the Green Cross Code, and setting national speed limits during the 1973 oil crisis. He also worked at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Housing.

He married Joan in 1941 and they settled in Langley Vale. He looked after her through a lengthy illness before she died in 1992.

He continued to live independently in the village, sustained by his love of classical music, until May this year when he moved to a care home where he impressed staff with his flashes of intellect and dry sense of humour.

He is survived by his brother Alan, three children Rosemary, Sue and Chris, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.