My father, David Langston, who has died aged 80, began his working life as a soldier, had a short interlude as a merchant seaman, and then opted to become an English teacher.

David was born in Carlisle in Cumbria, to Mary (nee Thomson), a typist, and Sydney, a captain in the Royal Artillery. Describing himself in his youth as a “tearaway”, he was said to be a “dreamer” by his teachers at Carlisle grammar school – a boy who initially didn’t reach his potential but was a keen reader and artist.

Leaving with three O-levels, he joined the Royal Army Pay Corps as a regular soldier in 1961 and was posted to Aden, where he was seconded to the Federal Army of South Arabia. Returning from Aden, he was based at the castle in Edinburgh, but in spite of his fondness for that city he decided to buy his way out of the army in 1965 and become a merchant seaman. He worked as a stoker on the Queen Mary as she sailed from Southampton to New York.

David had loved the sea and ships from an early age, but his sailing career was brought to an end after only a few months when he had a near fatal accident on his motorbike and was hospitalised for the best part of two years.

The accident and its aftermath changed him: deciding to settle down, he moved to Manchester, went to college to get the A-levels he had missed out on, and then took politics and American studies at Hull University (1968-71), subsequently qualifying as a secondary school teacher and going on to do an MA in English.

David loved teaching, and made writers such as Chaucer, Shakespeare and Alexander Pope appeal to his pupils because he always had a story to tell that would fascinate them. He spent most of his career at St Peter’s Roman Catholic grammar school (later St Monica’s high school) in Prestwich, and then taught adults at Bury College from 2002 until 2008, when he retired.

In his spare time he was an artist, played music, was an avid reader (including of the Guardian), and enjoyed gardening.

He is survived by his wife, Ann (nee Crawley), whom he married in 1968, their two daughters, me and Katy, and two grandchildren, Sylvie and Teddy.