Gerald Yetman's friends say he cared about everybody. (CBC)

Gerald Yetman, a well-known and long-serving union leader in Nova Scotia, has died. He was 83.

Yetman, born in Montreal, served in the merchant marine during the Second World War. He moved to North Sydney in 1948 and became active with the carpenters' union in the 1960s.

He was a leader with the Canadian Union of Public Employees from 1975 to 1990 and became the first full-time president of the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour.

Fellow union leader Victor Tomiczek remembered when Yetman was at the helm of the federation.

"It wasn't a paid position. He was doing that in his own job as a CUPE representative, and doing a good job of it," Tomiczek said.

"He just cared about everybody in the province and he was all over the place and he just had that energy. It was very catching 'cause when you got there, he would really stir the pot up and get everybody going."

Yetman was also a councillor and deputy warden of Victoria County, and served for many years on the board of the Cape Breton United Way.

He was a "very committed" person, said Gerald Sampson, a fellow county council member.

"He fought for a good cause all the time," said Sampson.

In 1993, Yetman was awarded a commemorative medal for the 125th Anniversary of Confederation.

He died in Glace Bay on Friday. His funeral will be held Tuesday in North Sydney.