Popular Nairn Gaelic Choir tenor, Mod performer, car enthusiast and dad-of-five, John Bell of Ardersier, has died aged 81.
The retired surveyor who worked for the Highland Council was latterly a weel-kent door-to-door insurance man for Brittanic Assurance.
Singing from a young age
John Stewart Bell was born in 1943 to Elizabeth and William Bell in Moffat, Dumfriesshire. The second of four children, his parents separated when they were all still very young.
Elizabeth brought them up singlehandedly for most of their childhood until she met and married Archie Campbell. He became a strong presence and father figure in John’s life.
“A very disciplined upbringing” helped John, who attended Dumfries Academy, mature from an early age. His love of choral music also began at senior school where he joined the choir.
At 20 John became tea-total after one final sweetheart stout, leaving him free to hone in on his lifelong passion: cars and motorbikes.
Dance partners for life
John met Mary Gilfeather in 1963 at a dance in Lockerbie town hall.
“He caught my eye,” said Mary. “He was 6ft 3 clean-shaven, in a gorgeous suit, dancing on his own. We danced together later that night. And then for many, many years after that,” she added.
John and Mary got engaged a year after meeting, following a courtship of “impressive” dancing together. John perhaps hadn’t considered the date of the proposal, however. When he asked Mary to marry him it was April Fools Day. Just to make sure, Mary asked him to pop the question one more time, after 12 noon.
Mary, who shared her future husband’s love of cars, married John in October 1965.
Making a home in Ardersier
Ayr Technical College was John’s training ground for what would be his long, and fulfilling, career. He studied mining surveying which opened the door to a job doing just that, for the National Coal Board, until 1966. His work then took him to Dunbar, as a site engineer.
In 1967 John and Mary’s family grew with the birth of their first daughter Tina.
When she was eight months old the family moved to Ardersier. John found employment with Inverness County Council as a surveyor in the roads department.
He’d remain there until 1975, in between times becoming a family of five girls.
Mary, now deceased, was born in 1968, Sheena in 1969, Anna in 1971 and Morag came along in 1972.
A weel-kent face in the Highlands
In 1975 John became a civil engineer for the Highland Council. For the next 21 years he became a font of unrivalled knowledge when it came to water and sewage systems.
“Dad designed them so he knew where every pipe and sewage line went,” said Morag. “And he wasn’t shy in telling you about it!”
Following his retirement from the council in 1996 John collected insurance money from families across the Highlands, on behalf of Brittanic Assurance. He did this for a decade before the need for a heart bypass led to “proper retirement” age 64.
He was also a founding committee member of Ardersier Cromal Hill Recreation Committee. For more than 50 years, and until his recent hospital admission, he was still collecting fees for the organisation’s 200 Club.
Car clubs, rally driving and unwanted school taxi
Despite a love of fast cars and racing – he competed for a number of car rally clubs in Nairn, Elgin and the Highlands – John had a propensity for being late.
“I mean really late!” added Morag. “Trying to organise anything with him, required him to be told to be somewhere an hour earlier.”
However, it was his skills as a navigator and map-reader that were really in demand when it came to racing. A founding member of Nairn Car Club and part of the 63 Car Club in Elgin, John could map the best routes for rallies like no other.
While his daughters did love seeing their dad race and going to car events, they weren’t so keen on his deftness when it came to getting them to school.
“Because there were seven of us we always had massive cars, but we lived in the country. If the school bus didn’t turn up after a certain amount of time we could go home,” said Morag. “We’d try and hide until dad went to work, but lo and behold he would spot us, and take us anyway!”
Indeed, the family spent a great deal of time – even on holiday – in the car.
John drove them to France, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark and Italy.
Nairn Gaelic Choir
From childhood John had a love of song and singing. A great tenor, he was an integral part of Inverness Choral Society for 20 years, followed by 30 years as a stalwart of the Gaelic choir, the Nairn Ceilidh Group and Nairn Folk Club.
Not a native Gaelic speaker, he took lessons in order to sing in the Mòd, with Nairn Gaelic Choir. A favourite annual event, Mary and daughter Sheena also took part, travelling as far as Canada at times, to perform.
Father’s Day family reunion
In later years John became a proud papa to eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His first grandson carried on the John Bell legacy, named after his kind-hearted grandfather.
Earlier this year John suffered health complications from diabetes and heart failure though still managed to do his P&J crossword every day with the help of his wife and daughter Sheena.
Sadly, in September 2023, John’s daughter Mary passed away due to a recurrence of cancer.
While grieving, his health deteriorated further requiring major surgery.
Though he was scheduled to get home his “heart wasn’t up to it” and he passed away on Father’s Day.
“We were all devastated, of course, but it meant he got to be with all his girls – us before he died, and Mary after, on Father’s Day,” added Anna.
He was ‘ahead of the curve’
At his funeral, which took place earlier this month at Inverness Crematorium, the family paid tribute to “Big John.”
“Dad was a real family man and ahead of the curve by being a very hands-on dad.
“He got stuck in with the cooking, washing, gardening, shopping – often with five wee lassies in tow – whilst working full-time and enjoying his hobbies of car rallying and singing.
“He also made sure the whole family got to church on Sundays, even though we walked in late most weeks.”
Donations totalling £669.90, from his funeral, went to Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.
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