Crash victim mourned by many
The family of the man killed in a car crash in Pongakawa says he was a loyal family man with a passion for cars.
Paengaroa man Kevin Carran, 64, died when his hot rod collided with a truck in Pongakawa about 3.15pm on Friday.
Family, friends and members of the Sulphur City Rod and Custom Club gathered at the Carrans' Paengaroa home and kiwifruit orchard yesterday.
They described Mr Carran as a family man, a car enthusiast, a skilled builder and an avid fisherman.
His wife of 41 years, Jean, said her husband was extremely generous and good with people.
"He was one of those guys that if anything needed to be done, he was doing it. He was a giver."
On Tuesday, he got on his ride-on mower and mowed the lawns for a friend who has sustained a rotator cuff injury, she said.
Family always came first for Mr Carran, she said.
"He was an absolutely brilliant family man. His family meant everything ... you'll never go hungry and you'll never go cold."
The couple had three daughters, five grandchildren with another on the way, and two great-grandchildren.
She said her husband always had to be doing something.
When a broken ankle kept him from work he tried to help her with the orchard and when that proved too difficult, he took to making bulk batches of marmalade and pickled onions, Mrs Carran laughed.
Mrs Carran said her husband had a passion for vehicles.
The self-employed builder raced motorbikes at the speedway when he was younger and took pride in the two 1934 Ford coupes and the Chevrolet pickup truck he owned.
"If you've got a hot rod that's your life," Mrs Carran said.
Mr Carran was also a keen fisherman and regularly went trout and sea fishing.
"He hated snapper but he used to get the best. He was a great provider. If he got 10 fish, 10 families got food," Mrs Carran said.
Sulphur City Rod and Custom Club president Brian Atkinson said Mr and Mrs Carran had been on the committee for the past year and a half.
"Their input was absolutely vital for the smooth running of the club," he said. "If anything was to be done in the clubrooms you asked Kevin first."
Mr Atkinson said he would be greatly missed by members of the club: "It's a second family."
