John Clay was a stonemason who worked on significant buildings throughout Launceston and Northern Tasmania.

He helped build the iconic gunpowder mills, wall, and units at Penny Royal, which is now part of the adventure complex above the Gorge.

He also restored the Church of the Apostles on Margaret Street, where he was responsible for the sandstone rosettes that sit under the spire as well as other stonework on the historic site.

Another major project was restoring the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at Deloraine, and he built much of the beautiful stonework at Carr Villa Memorial Park - Shelley Clay said he was responsible for the stonework which was added in the 2000s.

Clay Grove at Carr Villa was named in recognition of his work.

There are a number of residential buildings around Launceston and Burnie that also bear Mr Clay's traditional craftsmanship, and he restored the Commandant's Cottage at Jericho, originally built in 1842, which is visible from the Midland Highway.

It's always sad to lose a parent, but not everyone is able to remember them, and see evidence of their life's work, when going for a walk around the city streets.

Ms Clay said she was proud of the stonemasonry her father had completed.

"I've taken Joshua to the wall at Penny Royal, even when he was really little and we couldn't really go in to the complex itself," she said.

"There's a plaque there that has dad's name on it - Taffy Evans [who trained him in stonemasonry] apparently did that for dad. Mum told me it was because he was so shocked at how well he took to stonemasonry."

Mr Clay became a stonemason after beginning as a waiter at the Penny Royal as his second job.

The owner at the time asked him what he did for a living, and when he found out Mr Clay was a slaughterman, he responded, "We can do better than that."

"Quit your job and you can come and work for me," he said, as Shelley Clay recalled the story told in her family.

Mr Clay then began working as a labourer and training as a stonemason under two men already employed at Penny Royal, and never looked back.

Ms Clay said she was glad as a child that her father decided to change careers from the meatworks where he used to work at Killafaddy.

"I still remember the way the car used to smell from his clothes," she laughed.

She remembered him as a hardworking man who was a "down-to-earth, no-fuss kind of guy."

"He was hardworking to the very end, which didn't necessarily help him - he was a bit stubborn in that way," she said.

"It's been lovely to hear people who knew dad over the years, all the neighbours said he'd been lovely and had been a great nieghbour ... he had friends in Queensland who were always ringing him up.

"He played basketball when he was younger and had a lot of mates from those years. He had many mates, and that to me says you're a good type of person.

"He was a good dad, and a great grandfather to Joshua."

Ms Clay said it was difficult not being able to invite everyone in his life to the funeral, which was limited due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"They'll all have a drink or two for him when everything goes back to normal," she said.

John Clay died aged 77 on May 13, leaving behind one daughter, Shelley Clay, and grandchild, Joshua Clay.

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