Max Limon also had a firm handshake that underscored his hard work and resilience, his son, Jarrett told his funeral service.

Mr Limon, formerly of Sunnybrook, near Tarago, died suddenly on May 5, aged seventy. It followed a brief hospitalisation in Goulburn.

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Wife, Joan, said the passing of her husband, who was otherwise fit and well, was "a total shock."

The couple only retired to a small property west of Goulburn three years ago and was looking forward to more time travelling Australia.

Mr Limon was born in Goulburn on August 10, 1949 but lived most of his life at Sunnybrook. The property was a soldiers settler block carved off from the Osborne family's original holding and run by his parents, Bill and Esther.

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He was educated at Tarago Public School and then Inveralochy Agricultural School, where he furthered his love of farming. Mr Limon maintained lifelong links to Inveralochy, attending regular reunions.

He met Joan at a Queanbeyan dinner party, via his sister, Trish, and they married in 1974. Mr Limon worked there in the transport industry for a time but always helped his father on the farm on weekends. In the early 1980s, with his father's health failing, the young couple moved there permanently.

"There wasn't a blade of grass and there were dust storms. We saw a lot of animals die and that was really tough," Mrs Limon said.

"We went through many droughts but we got on with it."

They lived through the end of the wool floor price and witnessed sheep sold for $1 at saleyards in the early 1990s. When Ovine Johnes Disease broke out, they advocated for better regulation.

There were good years too and Mr Limon loved running the property that was "in his blood."

Unable to have children themselves, Jarrett came into their lives at a young age. He made their lives complete, good friend Cathy Sloan told his funeral gathering.

Mr Limon was also deeply involved in the community, helping to run Tarago's annual show for many years. Mr Limon was a dedicated member of Tarago School's P&C and together with Joan, planted hundreds of trees and restored landscapes with the Taylors Creek Landcare group.

But the RFS was always a passion.

"He liked to protect the community and was totally reliable. It wouldn't matter where the fire was, he would go," Mrs Limon said.

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In January 2017, flames from the massive Currandooley blaze flashed over the fire truck he was driving. He fortunately escaped injury. The fire had broken out on the Capital Wind Farm nearby and destroyed almost 3800 hectares.

At his funeral on May 14, the RFS presented a certificate in recognition of Mr Limon's 50-year service.

Throughout his life, he also enjoyed playing tennis, racing cars at speedways, and ballroom dancing.

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"He had to teach me and we had lots of laughter and good memories," Mrs Limon quipped.

It was only in recent years that the travel bug bit. The couple purchased a caravan and travelled to outback Queensland and Victoria's Great Ocean Road.

All the while, he kept a keen eye on his beloved Canberra Raiders and encouraged Jarrett in his rugby league. In latter life, he took delight in his four grandchildren.

Fittingly, his funeral service was held in the garden of his Goulburn district home, surrounded by nature.

Jarrett told mourners his father was a humble and quiet and genuine man "who epitomised what hard work stood for and had a relentless drive to provide for his family."

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Mrs Limon told The Post she would miss her husband's gentle and calm ways.

"He was dependable to the bootstraps. He was my carer to the end," she said.

Mr Limon is also survived by his brother, Ron, sister Trish Pickering, grandchildren Jordan, Jack, Jacey and Anne and his nieces and nephews.

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