Big turnout for funeral of widow, 103, in wake of church minister’s appeal

Strangers, politicians, soldiers and police joined friends of a 103-year-old widow after a church minister appealed for people to attend her funeral.

Annie Wallace, from Milton in Glasgow, who died on 23 December, had no family.

The appeal resulted in huge response from the community with a host of people joining Mrs Wallace’s handful of friends for the funeral and a celebration of her life.

Four soldiers from the 32 Royal Signal regiment acted as pallbearers at her funeral at Colston Milton Parish Church.

Rev Christopher Rowe, who visited Ms Wallace hours before she died, delivered the eulogy, describing Mrs Wallace as an “absolute gem”.

“Annie has always loved singing and I can say with confidence that she was still singing the day that she died, and I rather suspect there was not a day in the last 100 years when she didn’t sing,” Mr Rowe said.

“She told me how she was singing in the church choir, and the choirmaster was telling them to roll their ‘rrrrs’, she laughed out loud as she said, ‘I thought he said roll your arse’, and she duly obliged.

“Annie was 103 years old when she died, and I have no doubt that she is in heaven – forever young, forever her beautiful gentle, fun and positive character.” He added: “Annie was an easy person to love, she was an absolute gem but most people here did not even know her. “It’s Milton at its best.” Alex O’kane, a community campaigner, who helped Mr Rowe spread the word, said: “It was humbling and inspiring to see so many strangers to turn up for Annie.”

During the service, a video of Mrs Wallace was played showing her, then aged 95, as she cracked jokes and told stories about her life, as part of a local arts project.

When it ended, there was spontaneous outbreak of applause.

Also attending were SNP councillors Allan Gow and Jacqueline Mclaren and Labour’s Robert Mooney and Gary Gray, while council chiefs supplied flowers.

Insp Craig Walker, of Maryhill police station, who sent two officers, said: “I think that it’s fantastic that the local community have come together to mark the life of Annie Wallace.”

Mrs Wallace was born in nearby Possil in April 1914. She worked as a shop assistant and was married with no children.

Her father James Minto, a tram driver, volunteered for the army after the outbreak of the First World War. He survived the war and returned home, but died when Mrs Wallace was a child.