Les Wallace, a former director of furniture makers East Brothers (Lochee), has died aged 81 after a long illness.
Outside of his business career, Les was a junior football referee, Boys’ Brigade officer and Kirk elder.
He spent his career at East Brothers and the associated firm Onsite Flooring.
East Brothers, which had its manufacturing base in South Road, was founded early in the 20th century.
Treasured furniture
Perhaps one of its most famous products was its Eastcraft trolley, which expanded to become a card table.
Thousands of these trollies could be found in homes in Dundee and the rest of the UK in the post-war period.
School days
Leslie Wallace was born and raised in Arklay Street, Dundee, and he was the son of carpenter Andrew Wallace and his wife Jemima.
He began his primary education at Clepington Road School before progressing to Morgan Academy.
After he left school, Les joined East Brothers where he was to spend all of his career.
He met his future wife, Joan, after his mother had a spell in Ashludie Hospital. She got friendly with Joan, a fellow patient and invited her to tea where she met Les.
Marriage
The couple married in Ryehill Church, Dundee, in November 1971 and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last year.
Les had been an officer with the 16th Company The Boys’ Brigade, based at St James’s Church in Arklay Street. He went on to be ordained as an elder at Camperdown Parish Church.
In addition, Les was a qualified referee and took charge of many games in the Tayside Junior Football league, known at the time as the Midlands League.
Les, who lived with Multiple Sclerosis, was a lifelong Dundee FC fan, long-term ticket holder and one of the original members of Dundee Supporters Association Committee.
In recent years he still managed to attend games even though he relied on a wheelchair for mobility.
As a mark of his support for his beloved Dundee FC, his funeral cortege will be routed past Dens Park on its way to Dundee crematorium on Tuesday, July 12 for his funeral at 12.30pm.
A devoted family man, Les is survived by Joan, his son and daughter, Andrew and Lynsey, and grandchildren Ben, Christy and Alastair.
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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