A FORMER councillor who suffered from Motor Neurone Disease has died after contracting coronavirus - prompting loving tributes from his family.

Jerry Gibson, 68, who served as a Rochford councillor until he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2014, died on March 27 from Covid-19.

Jerry, a beloved husband and father and lifelong West Ham fan and season ticket holder, was praised for living life to the full after his MND diagnosis six years ago, and his wife Gillian has paid tribute to him.

The 64-year-old described how her late husband would “light up a room with his smile”. She said: “He told me he had three options with Motor Neurone Disease.

“He said ‘I could sit at home and be miserable, be permanently drunk or make the most of the future I’ve got left,’ and that was what he did.

“We went on lots of holidays and cruises, but once the disease worsened he had to give up the cricket, golf, and walking that he loved.

“His legs packed in back in July. They couldn’t bear his body weight any longer.

“His smile lit up his face and everyone around him. He used to sit outside the front garden and talk and wave to people as they came past.

“He loved talking to everyone, and he did just that.”

Mrs Gibson described how the coronavirus impacted on Jerry’s health, adding: “MND attacks the lungs, which meant he always had a chesty cough,” she said.

“He was in hospital over Christmas for four weeks. He almost died on Christmas Day because his oxygen levels were so low.

“The NHS and his carers were amazing the whole time.

“We don’t know how he caught the virus. He hadn’t been out in a long time and we hadn’t had visitors for a while.

“Once he was really ill, we knew they couldn’t save him.

“I called 999 when he started struggling to breath. They asked me if I wanted him to come home as he was stable enough to come home from hospital.

“He wanted to be at home. We were lucky, I held his hand as he died. He couldn’t be put on a ventilator, his lungs wouldn’t have coped.”

Arthur Williams, a Rochford Council member who stood against Jerry in elections, paid tribute to him on social media.

“Jerry was diagnosed with MND whilst he was serving as both a district and parish councillor, forcing him to curtail his great work in public office,” he wrote.

“He defied assessments from doctors and consultants and remained an active member of the community. Jerry will be sadly missed.”

Gillian has also urged the Government to change their vulnerable person categories, after Jerry’s illness meant he did not qualify for external support. She added: “Motor Neurone Disease is not on the government’s list of conditions that puts people in the vulnerable category who need shielding and receive support, like the delivery of food.

“There was no way he could self-isolate in a room by himself.

“His hands didn’t work properly. I had to feed, clean, and change him.

“This needs to be changed so people like Jerry are not at risk.”