Tributes have poured in for a born-and-bred “stalwart” of the Forres community who has died at the age of 87.
Veteran Gordon Macdonald died at home after attending the Piping At Forres event last weekend.
Born in Forres in 1927, Mr Macdonald left to join the army and served with the Gordon Highlanders in World War II, rising to the rank of sergeant major. He met his wife-to-be, Helga, whilst stationed in Germany and returned home to marry in 1959.
The couple’s youngest of eight children, Denise Allan, said: “It was a sudden death because my dad had no illnesses at all and he was fully functional right to the end.
“He was at Piping at Forres, he had a beer in the legion — like he did every Friday and Saturday night — then went home and that was it. He was gone.
“My mum died in 2010, but she and my dad couldn’t have done more for us, and we don’t think about them with sadness because they lived full and happy lives.”
Mr Macdonad left the army and worked as a school janitor and then a caretaker at Forres Community Centre, where he became a well-known face to generations.
His keen passions away from work included the SNP, the history of Forres and the Royal British Legion.
Mrs Allan, 41, added: “There would be very few people in the town who won’t know who he was. He just wanted to be apart of everything to do with the town.”
Famed for delivering an off-the-cuff speech when official no Forres remembrance day commemoration had been organised, he was well-known for his enthusiasm in everything he did.
Moray MP Angus Robertson said: “Gordon was an amazing man and a stalwart of the Forres community.
“He played a huge part in the Royal British Legion and will be sorely missed as president of Forres SNP after investing decades of dedication.”
Mike Wood, chairman at Friends of the Falconer Museum, said: “He has been a member of the museum friends for about the last 15 years. He was always helpful, always willing, always had a grin on his face and he was the sort of guy who you think is timeless. It’s a great shame that he’s gone and gone so suddenly.”
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead added: “Gordon was a lovely, good man who had served his country in the forces and was a familiar face in Forres. His absence at future events will be difficult for everyone.”