Peter Jellie's workmates at Warrnambool's biggest employer, Midfield Meat, will form a guard of honour today after his funeral service.

"We will be there in force as the coffin is carried out," Midfield managing director Colin McKenna said yesterday.

The 11am service at the showgrounds' Wannon Rooms is expected to be overflowing with mourners.

Mr Jellie died this week at the age of 49, after a short battle with oesophagus cancer.

Before his death he instigated a special fund called Peter's Project at Southwest Cancer Services to help patients in the region.

"He wanted to help ease the suffering of others and to get a radiotherapy facility here so they don't have to travel to Geelong and Melbourne," his wife Vicki said yesterday.

"He wanted men to check their health regularly."

Donation envelopes will be available at the funeral service.

Mr Jellie had an extensive involvement in community and farming groups. He helped pioneer the Midfield Direct program which involved buying livestock directly from farmers for the meatworks.

His small team took the project from zero to 3000 clients extending from Colac to Mount Gambier.

"Peter was a very loyal worker, a good friend and very correct in whatever he did," Mr McKenna said.

"He was the farmers' friend in his dealings with purchasing livestock."

Mr Jellie was also highly regarded in the dairy industry.

He helped form the Target 10 committee in the 1990s and served on local and state committees of that group as well as the Farm$mart group.

Mr Jellie also shared his talents with the dairy industry focus committee and Western Victorian Dairy Industry committee (now known as WestVic).

He was a member of Woodford Fire Brigade, served on the Brauer College and Woodford Primary School committees and played senior football with Bushfield Football Club.

"He was the type of bloke who always put his hand up when something needed to be done," Mrs Jellie said.

Born and raised on the family dairy farm at Woodford, he left school to work for local businesses before going to Adelaide to work with a fencing contractor.

He later returned to the dairy industry.

Among his memorable projects was fencing the Hayes family horse racing complex at Angaston.

He leaves four children, Jessie, Erin, Sarah and Clare.