Tributes have been paid to a lifelong RSPCA volunteer who has died at the age of 96.

Doreen McDavid of Highfield, Southampton, was a former chairman of the Southampton (now Solent) Branch of the RSPCA. She began her association with the charity as an honorary secretary at the Putney branch in 1947.

Throughout the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s she was an elected member of the RSPCA Council and received both of the organisation’s top honours – the Silver Brooch and the Queen Victoria Silver Medal – in recognition of her long service to the charity.

Her family said Doreen died peacefully a few days after celebrating her 96th birthday with her family.

Her daughter, Deborah Smith, said: “She did so much for the RSPCA but because she lived such a long life there are not so many people who remember her now.

“She joined the RSPCA in 1947 just after she got married. It was her love of animals that motivated her, and she had lots of pets – dogs and cats. It became a family tradition that the pets would be named after sporting events or people. Her last cat was named Troon after the golf course.”

In 1959 Doreen moved from Putney to Ewell Surrey where she became secretary of the Ewell branch of the RSPCA, before moving to Southampton in 1967 where she was elected by the bench to sit on the RSPCA council in London.

Deborah said: “I would say that her greatest success was transferring the Stubbington Ark Animal Rescue Centre from the facilities at the Branches’ Park Gate shelter to the much larger site at Ranvilles Farm in Stubbington.

“It was at the time my father died and she made a professional donation. We also asked for donations at her funeral to go to the Stubbington Ark Centre which is now the largest animal rescue centre in the country.

Deborah added: “I think she decided that she reached the age of 96 and that was her time to go. She died very peacefully.

“She had a good sense of humour, she was very witty, and everybody said she was lovely.”

Baroness Janet Fookes, chairman of the RSPCA at the time, remembered her as a most conscientious and active member of the council and a “delightful person to know”.

Mrs McDavid leaves a daughter, two sons and two grandchildren.