Extraordinary
DAD was a family man whose career in printing was well suited to his love of reading. Born in Edinburgh, the loss of his parents before he turned 18 spurred him on to have a happy life. He completed an apprenticeship to become a compositor, winning first prize for 1949-50 from the city’s James Clark Technical Institute. After National Service in Cyprus, he returned to Scotland where he took up a job with Beaverbrook Newspapers in Glasgow, working the night shift on the Evening
Citizen. He stayed there until 1974 before going on to work for Holmes McDougall, printing the Scottish Farmer. At a dance in 1957, he met a lovely English girl called Jean Kendall. She was living in Glasgow with her aunt and uncle, who also worked for Beaverbrook Newspapers. They married on September 12, 1959 at the city’s Grand Hotel, before travelling through France in an Austin A40 car for their honeymoon. They caught a plane from Lydd in Kent to Le Touquet and skimming the Channel would have been such a thrill, especially for Jean, who had never left Britain before. The couple moved
to Bearsden, outside Glasgow, and then to Bishopbriggs. Their three daughters — me, Gillian and Alison — completed the happy family. Dad enjoyed a round of golf with his pal Gordon and they often laughed when the weather interrupted play. Once, Dad claimed his golf towel had blown all the way across the Atlantic after a stormy trip to the Mull of Kintyre. He liked to tell stories, especially to his youngest daughter, who was obsessed with the TV show The Virginian. Every Saturday he had to make up stories about the Virginian to entertain ‘wee Ali’. These always ended with him snoring in the chair. Dad enjoyed DIY — he often had to cut twice, but only measured once! Even so, he managed to make a swing for me, a desk for Gillian and a wheelie table for the portable TV. Mum and Dad marked their diamond wedding anniversary last year quietly at their home in Stratford-upon-Avon with their daughters and grandson Jack. An avid fan of Heart of Midlothian, Dad followed the team ever since he attended matches as a lad. He was a bookworm, enjoying history, mystery, fiction and everything in between. A beloved husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather, he is missed by his family and friends.
ALAN MUIR, born June 23, 1933; died July 20, 2020, aged 87.