A NORTH TAWTON horticulturalist and firefighter was praised by his group commander as ?a very dedicated member of the team? at an inquest in Okehampton last week.
Mark Neil Seaton, from East Beer Farm, North Tawton, was found dead in a barn at the farm on Friday, July 25.
Mr Seaton joined the fire service in 1989 and became a leading firefighter at the station last year.
Group commander Ally MacDonald said Mr Seaton?s record as a firefighter was ?second to none? and said he would be missed by everyone.
Mr Seaton ran the successful horticultural business Roots and Shoots with his wife and was a dedicated member of North Tawton?s retained firefighting crew.
Mr Seaton?s wife Nicola said work to build a new house at the farm to accommodate the family and grandparents had been due to be completed in the summer of 2002, but was dragging behind schedule which had been the source of some worry for her husband.
He had also been asked to take on extra responsibility at North Tawton fire station due to staff shortages, but ?did not let on he was troubled or depressed?, in the days before his death, she said.
Greater Devon Coroner Dr Elizabeth Earling recorded a verdict of suicide.