GEORGE Reszeter, who has died aged 72, was an award-winning wildlife photographer who captured city life for a quarter of a century for the Oxford Mail.

George Reszeter was born in Poland on February 2, 1946, to parents Veronica and Walter Reszeter.

The family moved to the UK and settled in Oxfordshire when he was four years old.

After attending Matthew Arnold School in Botley he earned an apprenticeship at Morris Radiators as a freelance photographer.

It was about this time he met his future wife Patricia Charlotte in White’s Bar in High Street.

The pair married in Abingdon on August 20, 1966, and had two sons, Jason and Lee.

The family moved from Walton Street to Abingdon before settling in Dry Sandford, where Patricia still lives now.

After a brief spell teaching photography at Abingdon College – now Abingdon and Witney College – Mr Reszeter took up his long-term position at the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.

His first day as a news and sports photographer was Boxing Day 1983.

He worked for the paper for 25 years before retiring in 2008 but continued to pursue his passion for wildlife photography.

An avid Oxford United fan, he was able to follow the U’s up and down the country and capture the most successful period in the club’s history – the victorious Milk Cup run of 1986.

He earned a reputation at the paper as a kind and generous man as well as an exceptionally talented photographer.

When the Queen visited Oxford to officially open Douglas House hospice in 2004 Mr Reszeter was there taking pictures.

When Princess Diana came to Oxsrad Sports Centre in 1989, he was the photographer who captured the event for posterity.

His personal passion was for wildlife photography and in particular birds and orchids – his son Lee recalled family holidays to Greek islands on the hunt for pictures.

Through the 1990s and early 2000s he regularly travelled to Scilly, taking spectacular bird pictures everywhere he went.

Despite retiring from the paper in 2008, he never gave up his passion – the reserve situated near his home was also a bonus.

As recently as 2016 he came in the top 10 of British Birds magazine’s Bird Photograph of the Year competition with a photo of a citrine wagtail in Cyprus.

He died on March 16 at the John Radcliffe Hospital after having a stroke and is survived by his wife Patricia, his sons Jason and Lee, and a granddaughter Layla.