A TERMINALLY ill dad who was showered with cards from strangers to mark his final birthday has died.

Steve Hoggarth turned 47 in February, having been diagnosed with the debilitating Motor Neurone Disease last year.

The dad-of-two became ill at home on Tuesday and died with his wife, Cheryl, with him in an ambulance near to Colchester General Hospital.

He leaves behind two children, Jason, 18, and Dani, 15.

His brother, Chris Hoggarth, paid tribute to “the man with a wicked sense of humour”.

The 43-year-old said: “Of course, we knew he was terminally ill but none of us were expecting his final day to be Tuesday.

“There is a sense of comfort around his death, I suppose.

“His condition was only going to deteriorate.

“The next thing which was going to deteriorate was his speech and if he had lost his speech, we would have lost him.

“He had a wicked sense of humour.

“It didn’t matter who you were. He was the same with everyone.

“He was great for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time but for the right reasons and it would always make you smile.

“While it is devastatingly sad, he is at peace now.”

Mr Hoggarth added: “He had two nights which were quite restless and an ambulance had come for him.

“But by the time it got to the hospital, he had died.

“Cheryl was there with him. He died with her so they were together.

“What Cheryl has done for him is the very definition of love.”

Steve, of Perth Close, in Colchester, was diagnosed with MND in March 2016, after a series of tests.

And the 47-year-old former maintenance manager deteriorated quickly.

In less than a year, the talented footballer and cricketer had to give up playing.

He also had to give up training to become a football referee.

After the Gazette carried an appeal from Steve in January for people to send him birthday cards, 1,500 cards came through his door, including from the England Cricket Team, Colchester United, Sky Sports presenter Natalie Sawyer and Charlotte Hawkins of Good Morning Britain.

Brother Mr Hoggarth said: “That appeal really gave him hope and a focus and the response really was overwhelming for him and for the family.

“It showed how far his story reached.

“And we want people to know they really made a difference by doing what they did.”

Steve had also aimed to raise £1,000 for St Helena Hospice, where he had received palliative care.

But he easily surpassed that target, raising almost £3,000.

Mr Hoggarth added: “We are probably fortunate as MND takes about one-third of people within 14 months, so we got that with him.

“We’re now planning his funeral, which is a funny feeling.

“When you think of a funeral, you think of a sad event.

“We will make sure his funeral is not a sad event.

“It will be a celebration of his life.”