The deaths of iconic Redland butchers Reg Pattemore and Bill O'Brien in the past few weeks were as serendipitous as their lives.
The two men who were friends and respected businessmen both created a legacy in the Redlands which has been passed onto their sons.
This year will be the 60th anniversary of Redlands Meat Hall, opened by Mr O'Brien in Bloomfield Street Cleveland in 1957 and distinctive by its large cow out the front of the store. It is now operated by his three sons, John, William and James.
John said working with his father had taught him a lot of values.
"A lot of people don't know who their father really is. There are a lot of absent fathers. I feel pretty lucky. I feel like a multi millionaire to have had Dad there," John said.
John described his father as "tough, but fair" and counted him among the pioneering identities of the area.
"When he came to Cleveland, the Council operated from an army hut," John said.
John said his father was in a syndicate which owned a race horse, along with Merv Hayes from the flower farm at Thornlands, Rob Hoffman of Foodworks at Point Lookout and Jon Jorgensen who made deliveries to the island.
"He looked after the local doctors and the local vet. These are the men that shaped Cleveland," John said.
Mr O'Brien died in the Redland Hospital on June 6, aged 86. He spent his last year in aged care at Capalaba, after living previously in Cleveland.
Reg Pattemore has a similar story, having opened Pattemore Meats at the Alexandra Hills shopping centre when it opened in 1979. The store remains as the only original tenant.
Son Daryl who has continued the business described his father as a "humble and approachable man who was popular with the customers."
"He was a fixture on the counter," he said.
Daryl said since his father's death, he has been inundated with well wishes from customers.
Daryl said his father loved sport including competitive squash and fishing and translated this to lawn bowls which he played at the Redland Sporting Club in recent years. Reg too owned, bred and raced horses.
"He was always very competitive," Daryl said.
Daryl said he too felt lucky to work beside his father at the store, a legacy he has continued with his two sons Kenneth, 22 and Tye, 23. Reg is also the son of a butcher Wallace Pattemore who ran a butcher store at Bribie Island and later at Moorooka with Reg’s brother Bill. The father and son team soon built a built a butchering empire with stores at Holland Park, Acacia Ridge, Rocklea, Underwood and Garden City.
"It's good to work with your family. It helps to keep you close," Daryl said.
Mr Pattemore, formerly of Thornlands died of bone cancer, aged 77 on May 28.
"Reg and Bill (O’Brien) were friends and held each other with mutual respect in the industry. There is a common thread that runs through their lives," Daryl said.