THE widow of a man who died from an asbestos-related disease has appealed for help to find answers about how her “soulmate” died.

Roger Wilding died, aged 72, from mesthelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos exposure, but his family do not know exactly how or when he dealt with the dangerous material.

Now, they want to know if any of the civil engineer’s former colleagues can solve the mystery.

His son Courtney Wilding said the family first noticed that Mr Wilding, of Holly Green, Upton, seemed tired in late 2011.

Mr Wilding was subsequently given only six months to live and underwent gruelling chemotherapy, but his condition worsened this year and he died at home on May 27, leaving his wife Yvonne, two sons and three grandchildren.

Yvonne Wilding, who was married to Mr Wilding for 47 years, said: “To watch Roger die from this horrendous disease was heart-breaking for me, our sons and all our family and friends.

“Roger was a wonderful husband, father and grandfather who should have been able to have a much longer life.

“We had so much planned for the rest of our lives. He was my protector and my soulmate and I adored him.

“Now those plans have been dashed and all because of this terrible disease that could and should have been prevented if he had been provided with the proper protection from deadly asbestos dust.”

The family’s law firm Pannone is investigating how Mr Wilding was exposed to asbestos.

Madelene Holdsworth, the firm’s industrial disease case specialist, said: “Roger Wilding was a civil engineer with the Severn Trent Water Authority and we know he worked at a property called Southwick Park in Tewkesbury in the mid-1970s.”

They want to hear from anyone who worked at Southwick Park.

A spokesman for Severn Trent said the company had an office at Southwick Park, which was sold in the early 1990s, but it knew of no issues with asbestos at the building.

He added: “Our thoughts are with Mr Wilding’s family and we are very sorry that has happened.”

Ms Holdsworth can be contacted, in confidence, at Pannone on 01619 091485 or by e-mailing madelene.holds worth@pannone.co.uk.