David Jones was “a bloke who lived life to the fullest” and will be sadly missed by the hundreds of mourners expected to attend his funeral in Dubbo on Thursday.
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It will be held at Holy Trinity Anglican church at 11am as is being co-ordinated by Condobolin-based funeral directors B&W Deeves.
The funeral home’s director Bryan Deeves grew up with the man known to his friends as “Curly”.
“He was born and bred in Condo and well-known around the district,” Mr Deeves said.
“A lot of people from Condo knew him and will be travelling over on Thursday.”
He described Mr Jones as “a bloke who lived life to the fullest”.
“Coming from a country town everyone knows everyone else,” Mr Deeves said.
The news of his death “rocked the town”, he said.
Mr Jones, 52, died last Thursday night from injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle the Friday before.
He was crossing Whylandra Street with his partner and eight-year-old son after leaving the West Dubbo Bowling Club when struck by a Holden Commodore utility on August 13.
Mr Jones moved to Dubbo about 15 years ago and lived directly across the road from the club.
He’d been a member of the club since 1996 and club staff and members said he must have crossed the street “a million times”.
He was airlifted to St George Hospital in Sydney and died about 7.30pm on Thursday.
His partner stayed by his bedside in the intensive care unit and sent a compassionate message to the P-plate driver of the utility.
“It was an accident - there was nothing he (the driver) could do,” she said.
Dubbo police said all circumstances surrounding the tragic event were being fully investigated.
The incident prompted calls for a pedestrian crossing in the area and the RTA has since said it would work with Dubbo City Council to identify if there was a need for a pedestrian crossing.
Bowls manager Anthony Brown said Mr Jones was like family and would be sadly missed.
“We were like brothers, texted each other all the time and met regularly for a drink,” he said.
“We were close friends for a long time and it seems incredible that Curly is really gone.”
The club will be hosting a wake and members will form a guard of honour at the church before the service moves on to the Western District Memorial Park.
