A young father who died following a car crash has been described as a "gentle giant" who lived for his wife and three beautiful children.

Connor Ruffles, 26, from Stowupland, suffered life-threatening injuries in a crash on July 1 in Earl Stonham and died five days later in hospital on his second wedding anniversary.

His wife Amy has described him as "a loving husband, son, brother and father to three children" who will be "dearly missed by all that knew him".

%image(15126629, type="article-full", alt="Connor with two of his children, Herron and Beau. His children "were his world".")

Close family friend, Zoey Palmer, has started a fundraising page so Mrs Ruffles and her children can grieve without the financial worry.

Miss Palmer, 46, from Stowmarket, said: "I just know how tough it's going to be for her and with three young children.

"I just don't want her to have financial worry and as a community I think we all need to pull together.

"Connor was just such an amazing man and the love they had for each other, and those kids. He adored those children. It's just so tragic."

%image(15126630, type="article-full", alt="Connor with his middle child Dawson.")

Miss Palmer, a beauty therapist and mother-of-three, said her family had known the Ruffles family for more than 20 years.

"We watched him grow into this lovely gentle giant," she said.

She said she would remember his "craziness" and "his love for his children and love for his wife".

"And just that smile. He had a lovely smile," she added.

%image(15126631, type="article-full", alt="Connor and his wife Amy.")

Miss Palmer said she was "really pleased" with how the fundraising is going, having smashed the £1,000 target.

She said: "No-one should ever be put in that position and go through that. Something I'm quite passionate about is supporting Amy and her family."

On the fundraising page, Miss Palmer said Mr Ruffles' children - aged between one and nine - "were his world and Connor was everything to them".

%image(15126632, type="article-full", alt="A fundraising page has been set up for the family of Connor Ruffles, aged 26, from Stowupland, after he died following a crash in Earl Stonham.")

The page said that despite an operation - during which he had to have his leg amputated - he lost his fight and passed away on Tuesday, July 6.

Miss Palmer said Mr Ruffles, who they called "big fella", had worked in carpentry and loved fishing.

See here for the fundraising page.