Banker who devoted his life to Catholic fellowship

PROUD SCOTSMAN ANDREW ENJOYED THE IDEA OF SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND WAS MUCH RESPECTED

ALTHOUGH he moved to live in Nottingham early in his childhood, Andrew Bury always considered himself to be a true Scotsman.

Having been born in Dundee, Andrew took great pride in regularly wearing his family tartan.

“He would often wear a kilt when he went to meetings of The Catenians, where he was a member of eight different Circles,” remembers his cousin Michael. “Wherever he went, Andrew was very proud of being a Scotsman even though the amount of time he actually lived up there was minimal and he was seldom there.

“The full kilt regalia was something that was unique to him, and it really symbolised him.”

Andrew attended St Joseph’s RC infants and junior schools before going on to The Becket Grammar School where he was a good distance runner, running for Notts AC, as well as being an accomplished rower.

When he left school, he went to work for what became Nat West Bank where he stayed for around 33 years before taking early retirement in 1993. Living all his life with his mother Gertrude, until her death in 1997, Andrew was a dedicated member of The Catenians, Roman Catholic fellowship society.

“He belonged to eight different Circles – two in Scotland, Dundee & Perth, and also Inverness, and six in England,” says Michael.

“It was a big part of his life which he thoroughly enjoyed and devoted a lot of time to.

“Andrew was someone who enjoyed the idea of serving the community and also the fellowship that went with membership. They had food after each meeting and I used to joke that at least he’d have one good meal because his own cooking wasn’t up to much! He’d laugh at that because he knew it was true.”

A keen reader and lover of classical music, Andrew is described by Michael as very knowledgeable and bright, but also humble and unassuming. “He was very generous of spirit – everybody at his funeral said they’d never heard him say a bad or mean word about anybody. He was extraordinary in that respect.

“He was tall but very gentle and caring and very well-liked and respected. We could only have 21 people at his funeral because of the virus restrictions, but there would otherwise have been 400-500.” Living with schizophrenia for most of his life, Andrew never shied away from talking about his illness and volunteered on a committee for mental health in Nottinghamshire.

He was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in 2000, and as he got older and the disease progressed, the strength he’d had as an athletic young man diminished, so by the age of 60 he walked with difficulty.

But he remained determined to attend as many Catenians meetings as he possibly could and they rallied around to make that happen.

“All his friends and Catenians members were so good – they were like another family to him,” says Michael. “They made sure he got to as many meetings as possible – Andrew couldn’t drive so when he wasn’t able to go on buses and trains, they picked him up and then took him home again. Some went far out of their way to do it, such was the genuine fondness for him.”

FAMILY Andrew (right) with cousin Michael (left) and his Uncle Andy

Michael, Andrew’s cousin