FAMILY and friends gathered to celebrate the life of a “charismatic” man.

They packed Colchester’s crematorium, with more than 100 people gathered outside listening to the service on a PA system, to bid farewell to Steve Emsden.

The 49-year-old father-of-two from Cromwell Road, Colchester, died in June after his motorcycle was in a crash with a van in Braxted Park Road, Great Braxted.

His coffin was escorted to the crematorium by a cavalcade of motorbikes, and was carried into the service to Monty Python’s Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, chosen by his son Jake.

Humanist minister Linda Morgan introduced the service, describing Mr Emsden as much loved.

She said: “He was glad to be alive and I don’t think he wasted a lot of time thinking about when his life was going to end. He was too busy living it.”

She told the congregation to remember the moments of happiness as Mr Emsden would want them to do.

A tribute by his son Nathan was read out in which he described his father as “the greatest person” in his life.

He said: “Words can’t describe him. He was loving, caring, helpful and an amazing husband to my mum and father to me and Jake.”

Mr Emsden’s uncle Fred Hignett said: “He decided early that he wanted to do the best at whatever he undertook.

“He loved sport but he was always a husband and a father – family was never left out.”

He told the congregation how Mr Emsden played football for school and the county and also enjoyed darts, snooker and golf.

Mr Emsden was also a big fan of motorbikes and went all over the country to watch GP Superbikes.

Vaughan Clark, a friend of Mr Emsden, remembered the nights they sat after pool drinking, putting the world to rights, and the trip to Twickenham last November to watch the rugby.

Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt was played as the congregation quietly remembered him and this was followed by a poem, Memories of the Heart, chosen by his wife Jayne.

The congregation departed to the Mighty Quinn, by Manfred Mann, the anthem of Mr Emsden’s favourite rugby union team Harlequins.

The family thanked the emergency services for helping Mr Emsden at the scene of his accident, as well as staff at Broomfield Hospital, in Chelmsford.

A collection was taken in aid of St Helena Hospice in Colchester.