Obituary: Donald Stewart M

Stewart Maclean was generous with his time, talent and money, with many at home and abroad benefiting from his giving.

Stewart's parents bought Innseagan Guest House which became the family home for a number of years.

Stewart's first job was actually while still at school and saw him waiting tables at Innseagan dressed in a white shirt with a black bow tie.

When Stewart left school, he went to work at the pulp and paper mill at Corpach under the expert guidance of Alex Duncan, and it was while there that he studied with Strathclyde University and gained his various accountancy qualifications.

It was also during his time at the pulp mill that he met his future wife, Linda Gee, and when Stewart accepted a job with Timex in Switzerland, the young couple got married fairly soon after, on September 23, 1972. While in Switzerland, Stewart worked his way up to become manager of marketing control for Europe with the company, and this involved spells working in Brazil.

When his parents retired from Innseagan in 1979, Stewart and Linda came home to run and develop the hotel and they also built and operated Lochside Apartments.

It was in the November of 2001 that Stewart and Linda sold Innseagan and their base moved to their next home, at Edengrove Hall in Onich, from where Stewart ran and developed his extensive property portfolio - which he was still doing up until just a few days before he passed away.

He and Linda started to travel to South Africa regularly on holiday, and they became very good friends with the driver of the car that picked them up from the airport on their first visit.

As the friendship developed they supported him and his family in many ways, including buying them a new house in an upmarket area of the township where they lived, and they also helped see the children through school and supported the school they went to.

The South African family actually went on to name their own son Stewart, and Stewart and Linda kept in close contact with the family for a long time afterwards.

Stewart also sponsored a local football team in South Africa called Try Again and they proudly took to the pitch with ‘Fort William Scotland' emblazoned on their shirts.

When brother Fergie visited, he and Stewart attended matches in the township and it was clear how much Stewart was greatly respected by the team. Stewart and Linda also financed a nursery to enable mothers to go out to work.

Prior to their regular South Africa visits, Stewart and