Keith Atkins is fondly remembered by family. Photo / Supplied
Keith Frank Atkins loved a joke as much as he loved a fish, so he would've loved the irreverent farewell his family's given him.
Atkins died on May 14, aged 81, at his house in Waimarama because of to "fishing withdrawals", his death notice in the Hawke's Bay Today on Monday read.
His daughter Adele McNutt said Atkins was born and bred in Hastings, and was a well-known cyclist in his younger days. But her fondest memory of him were with rod and reel in hand.
"He's always had a love for fishing," McNutt said.
"Ever since I was a small child we went for fishing at Waimarama beach. He also went deep sea fishing in the Bay of Islands.
"He would take his gas stove, eggs, toast, take his buggy out and go fishing."
Because of her father's love for fishing, McNutt had become "really good" at riding tractors.
"He taught me how to double clutch the tractor so I could back in, so he could launch it," she said.
"The boat slides right off the trailer and into the waves. Now I am pretty good at riding tractors."
She said her father passed on his fishing knowledge to anyone new in the area and made a heap of friends.
"He had lots of friends from all his interests throughout the years. He loved cycling, fishing, automotive stuff. He loved to entertain his family and friends," she said.
"He was well loved."
His partner Sue Colson said Atkins went fishing whenever he could.
"We live at Waimarama and he would just go to the beach," Colson said.
He also had other interests including being the president of the Waimarama Development and Protection Society.
He was also the owner and inventor of Mayfair Pools, a job he only retired from on April 1.
"It is still going strong some 48 years after he started it," she said.
The Mayfair Pools system was invented in Hawke's Bay by the Atkins brothers, when a contract for building a swimming pool led them to a revolutionary system for making fibreglass swimming pools.
The success of the company began with television coverage of a commercial swimming pool they built in Hastings.
Once word spread the company expanded nationwide very quickly making it necessary to license the Mayfair Pools system throughout New Zealand and Australia.
In 1974 Mayfair Pools were awarded patents for their swimming pool system for New Zealand and Australia.
Mayfair Pools' system was invented from an offshoot of the manufacturers of the world's largest one-piece fibreglass-moulded caravan, known as Concord Caravans.
swimming pools in their factory but soon discovered so many disadvantages with this system which led them to invent the most successful current Mayfair system.
Today the company has agencies throughout most of New Zealand and is one of the largest swimming pool builders in New Zealand. It still builds swimming pools throughout the South Pacific.
Not bad for a humble fisherman.