Southport-based football director loses cancer fight
TRIBUTES have been paid to a Southportbased football director who died after a battle with cancer.
Callum Hosie, 73, moved to the resort from Dumbarton more than 50 years ago but always kept the Scottish town close to his heart.
And after a career as a successful business owner he was part of a consortium that bought the majority shareholding of Dumbarton Football Club in 2008, joining his cousin, Colin Hosie, on the board.
Callum was born on April 28, 1945 and, as a teenager, loved driving round in his dad Andrew’s Ford Zephyr, taking it as a challenge to see how many of his friends he could get in.
He served his apprenticeship at the Dewrance engineering firm in Dumbarton and at the age of 19 was relocated to Skelmers- dale when the Dumbarton factory closed.
He rose to works director before being made redundant, then set up his own successful manufacturing business, HH Valves.
He met his future wife, Pat, in Southport in 1965 and they were married in 1969, going on to have two children – Andrew, 45, and Alison, 43 – and one granddaughter, Ella.
He loved football and, after moving to England, was an Everton season ticket holder for 40 years.
In 2008 he got the opportunity to invest in Dumbarton Football Club and led a consortium which bought the majority shareholding.
He experienced some great moments with the club, notably when the IrnBru bus drove through the town after the club won the Scottish Third Division title in 2009.
He was too ill to see them relegated earlier this month.
Although he lived in England, Callum never forgot his Scottish roots and became well known for the packages of square sausage and crusty rolls that he would bring back from John Lang’s and Sloan’s butchers.
He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2017 and battled hard for 16 months before succumbing on May 14. Callum’s family are raising money for Cancer Research UK and donations can be made at justgiving. com/ callumhosiefoundation.
Dumbarton FC chairman John Steele said: “We are all deeply saddened by Callum’s passing.
“Everyone connected with the club sends our condolences and warmest wishes to the Hosie family.
“Their association with Dumbarton is long and deep.
“We appreciate all that Callum did for the football club and his heartfelt wish that we should continue to thrive long into the future.”