THE family of a Vale of Leven Academy teacher who was killed in a tragic accident have paid tribute to him as “a positive force for life”.

Chris Moses, 37, from Cardross, died suddenly on January 12 while undertaking work as a professional tree surgeon in Rhu’s Artarman Road. Cops said his death was not being treated as suspicious.

Mr Moses also served in Iraq and Afghanistan during 13 years in the Royal Marines, in which he reached the rank of acting Lieutenant Colonel.

His heartbroken family have now paid tribute to Chris – who they say always lived life to the full.

Amy Moses, his sister, said: “He was an amazing brother. He was a positive force for life, a force for good and lived several life times in his 37 years.

“He was my younger brother but in many ways he was older, he was wise and someone I went to for advice.”

His father Rob added: “Chris was never afraid of hard work. He worked hard in everything he did. A dad couldn’t be more proud of his son.

“He believed in everybody and was always there for others.

“He believed everyone was capable of everything, everyone was capable of maths – and everyone was capable of anything they put their mind to. He wanted people to believe in themselves, he wanted everyone to succeed.”

After leaving the Marines, Mr Moses retrained as a maths teacher and had worked at the Vale of Leven Academy since early 2019.

Chris tutored youngsters in the evening and ran his own tree surgery business, Easy As One Two Tree, at weekends and during school holidays.

Matthew Boyle, head teacher at Vale of Leven Academy, said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Chris, and everyone in the school is finding this difficult to comprehend.

“The thoughts of our whole school community are with Chris’s family and friends at this devastating time.

“Chris had been working at the Academy for almost a year, initially as a student and then as a probationer.

“He was bright, cheerful, and passionate about his new career in teaching, and his chosen subject, maths.

“He was a lovely man and will be missed both by colleagues and the pupils he worked with across the school.

“We’ve held assemblies in school for each year group to pass on the sad news and our pastoral care team is on hand for any young person who needs support.

“We’re also working closely with staff to support them.”

Chris was also the president of Helensburgh Amateur Athletics Club. Friend Kevin Johnson, who worked with Mr Moses as a fellow director of the annual Babcock Helensburgh 10K race, told the Reporter: “Chris was an outstanding young man in the prime of his life, active and generous on so many fronts.

He delivered everything, as you would expect, with quiet efficiency and military precision, but always with a laugh and a joke and a smile on his face.

“Chris knew how to motivate and lead by example, whether it was his troop of Royal Marines or a group of club volunteers and youngsters.”

Born and brought up in Plymouth in Devon, Mr Moses was a successful sprinter and semi-professional footballer with Plymouth Argyle in his youth.

He won medals in the Dunbartonshire Cross-Country Championships, and once joined a friend in cycling between Britain’s three highest mountains before running up each of them.

Mr Johnson continued: “He was an equally committed and loving husband to Joanne, a clinical director in a veterinary practice.

“Chris touched the hearts of everyone he met, made a positive impact on their lives and put a smile on their faces.

“He was a great man of humility, integrity and compassion, and one who will be sadly missed but never forgotten.”

A spokesperson for HM Naval Base Clyde said: “His death has come as a shock to those of us at the naval base who had the privilege to work alongside him over the years and he will be sadly missed.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said they received a report of a sudden death at, around 3.35pm on January 12.

They added: “A 37-year-old man has died and his death is being treated as non-suspicious. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”

Mr Moses is survived by wife Joanne, by his parents, who still live in Devon, and by two sisters.