FINA L JOURNEY
Convoy of learner cars help pay a fitting tribute to popular driving instructor George
A huge convoy of learner cars turned out to pay tribute to a popular East Kilbride driving instructor as he made his final journey.
George McLaughlin died suddenly and peacefully at his St Leonards home on May 6 surrounded by his family.
The 67-year-old grandad was a well-known figure in the town who taught up to 500 learner drivers across East Kilbride and Hamilton over the course of a decade in his trusty red Suzuki.
He was also a familiar face among the town’s football fraternity as a former coach for Mount Cameron Primary School and Hearts and Dundee United Boys Club in the early 1990s.
Sadly, due to social distancing restrictions, only a limited number of family were able to pay their respects at his service in South Lanarkshire Crematorium on Thursday.
In a show of support, more than 40 colleagues and friends followed the funeral cortège in their learner cars from Co-op Funeralcare in the village.
And, in a nod to his lifelong support of grassroots football, in particular EKYC, the procession passed by their clubhouse at Kirktonholme pitches where George would regularly be seen cheering on his grandsons Jack, Luca, Robbie and Archie, who have all played for the team.
His family told the News they were overwhelmed by the support as players, coaches and supporters lined the street to applaud one of the club’s biggest fans.
George’s son David said: “The support from the local driving instructors and EKYC football team was a lovely tribute to dad. We have been overwhelmed by the messages of support following dad’s sudden death.
“Aside from his family, teaching people to drive, helping others and football were dad’s main passions in life. It is amazing to see so many people taking their time to express their sadness and how highly my dad was thought of.
“My dad was a loving and devoted husband, dad and papa – a real family man. He was always so positive, it made him happy to know he’d made someone else smile. We spoke a lot about family and how much it meant for him to see his grandchildren happy and enjoying all the things that me and my sister had, family holidays, and time spent together. This made him very proud.
“He’d say ‘life is hard enough without going through it unhappy – so do what makes you happy.’ I’m going to miss his advice and support, but I have a million happy memories and stories that make me laugh and that will always overshadow one sad day.
“It’s never a good time to say goodbye, so instead we held his service to say thank you for everything he had done for us all. We were all so lucky to have had dad in our lives. He really was one of a kind and will be greatly missed by us all.”
George worked as a television service manager before training to be a driving instructor in 2005. Self-employed, he ran driving school EK Driving Lessons for 12 years.
He leaves behind his wife Christina, children David McLaughlin, 38, and Kirsteen Helsby, 41, and grandchildren Jack, 16, Luca, 10, Robbie, 8, Archie, 11, and two-year-old twins Addison and Stirling.
George’s best friend and fellow driving instructor, Alan Agnew, was given the honour of driving the family to the service. He said: “George wasn’t just an instructor colleague; he was an inspiration to me. He always gave his pupils 100 per cent. The turnout he received was staggering. He was a genuine gentleman who I was honoured to call a friend.”