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My husband Dick Empson, who has died aged 83, was a wonderful humanities teacher, and a great servant to his community as a district and parish councillor for many years.

Dick began his teaching career in 1964, at the Dukeries school in Ollerton, the first purpose-built comprehensive school in Nottinghamshire. In 1972 he became head of the humanities department at Sconce Hills school in Newark, and remained there until he took early retirement in 2004. He then worked as a part-time supply teacher, often in special schools, where he supported children with additional needs.

The second of the three children of Bert, who worked in timetabling for British Railways, and Beryl, who managed the tearoom on Derby station, Dick was born in Derby during the second world war, and grew up in the suburb of Littleover, with an elder brother, Nigel and a younger sister, Marie.

After teaching training at Bede College in Durham, he joined the Dukeries school, where I was also a teacher. We married in 1965 and settled in the village of Edwinstowe. As Dick was already an avid Guardian reader, it continued to be a part of our daily lives from then on.

Dick was a longtime chair of the local parish council in Edwinstowe, and in the 1980s he was elected a member of Newark and Sherwood district council. He also served as chair of governors at King Edwin primary school in Edwinstowe, which our three sons attended.

In retirement, he loved gardening and walking our dog in Sherwood Forest. We were lucky to be able to travel the world on cruise ships, and went to China, the Amazon, the US and Canada, Greenland, and most of Europe.

Dick is survived by me, our sons Stephen, Joel and Ben, and four grandchildren.