A devoted husband has paid tribute to “the perfect wife” who he met on a bus more than 60 years ago.

Joyce Dobby who shared her husband Tonie’s passion for cars and helped him run their Baildon Moor Garage since the 1970s, died in Bradford Royal Infirmary aged 78 after a series of strokes with him by her side.

Family and friends spanning their years together, including those from car clubs they knew, will gather for her funeral at Nab Wood Crematorium, Shipley, today to say their final farewells.

The garage business they built up together and for which Mrs Dobby was still keeping the books despite her deteriorating health until a year ago, will be closed for the day.

The couple, who married two years after meeting by chance every day for six weeks on a bus before their first ‘official’ date, went on to live in the house Mr Dobby’s great-grandfather bought and had three daughters, five grandchildren and a great-grandson.

During their 59 years of marriage, they were only apart once when Mr Dobby was with the REME regiment on national service in Grantown-On-Spey in the far north of Scotland, and they did not see each other for a year.

When Mr Dobby returned they eventually rented a garage in Baildon Green and then in the 1970s bought Northgate Garage which they made their own.

It became Baildon Moor Garage and Mrs Dobby took on the books, wages, answering the phone and even cleaning the cars. As well as Mr Dobby and their family, cars were the great love of her life after he taught her to drive 40 years ago.

Mr Dobby slipped his phone number to a man who pulled up next to them at a traffic lights with their initials on his car number plate – they went on to buy that ‘800TJ’ plate and it has been put on every car she has ever had since.

Ever the dedicated wife, Mrs Dobby nursed her husband through a broken back, five heart attacks, a shoulder re-build and other health problems, but in March 2011 it was her health that suddenly failed.

She suffered a major stroke which affected her left side and it meant Mr Dobby had to take the turn of nurse, looking after her until she had to move into a nursing home where he visited her three times a day without fail.

A series of other strokes followed and three months ago she was admitted to Bradford Royal Infirmary where she died.

Mr Dobby, who introduced his wife to the thrills and spills of the Bradford Bulls and had bought them ten-year ticket passes, says he will be keeping her seat next to his and is thinking of getting a plaque on it: “She’d like that,” he said.

He added: “I always used to say that nothing and no one could be perfect, that it just wasn’t possible.

“But Joyce was perfect. She was the perfect wife, best friend, mother and grandmother. She was my rock.”