Jim Ramsay, a former Scots Guardsman and police officer who went on to build a career as a gardener, has died aged 83.
When he left Tayside Police he turned to gardening for around 50 customers in Dundee.
Then, when he retired aged 65, Jim continued to work part-time mainly to help elderly customers who were unable to tend their gardens.
Although Jim had lived with cancer for 20 years, he was still working until about four months ago.
In his days in The Scots Guards, Jim had taken part in the changing of the guard and stood guard at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.
In later years, he was a bowler, hillwalker, pike fisherman and popular regular at the Kettledrum bar in Dundee.
He was born in Alyth in February 1940 to farm worker Jim Ramsay and his wife, Nan, and grew up with siblings, June, Denholm and Eric.
Education
With his father working on the land, Jim’s early years were spent living around East Perthshire and Angus and his secondary education took place at Webster’s Seminary in Kirriemuir.
After leaving school, Jim worked on farms in the area before enlisting in The Scots Guards and serving in Germany and the UK.
When he returned to civilian life he worked at potato dressing at Forfar before joining Edinburgh City Police in October 1960.
Six years later he transferred to Perth and Kinross Constabulary, and a year later, joined the CID.
In Edinburgh, Jim had met and married Margaret and the couple had a son, Roddy. The couple later separated and Jim later married, Irene, and also became father to her sons, Sean and Gary.
Move to Dundee
By 1975 Jim had moved to Dundee and had been promoted to detective sergeant. He later returned to uniform based at Maryfield and retired from Tayside Police in 1991.
It was then he began his second career in gardening which was to last more than 30 years.
He did it professionally until he turned 65 in 2005 and then part-time for elderly customers who counted him as a friend.
A keen caravanner while the family was young, in later years family holidays were spent abroad, before Jim and Irene had the opportunity to travel together to exotic locations such as Bali, Africa, Florida, Hong Kong and Thailand.
Jim was diagnosed with chronic lymphatic leukaemia 20 years ago but treatment gave him years of remission. However, at his annual check-up last year, it was discovered he had Hodgkin’s disease.
Care
His final month was spent in ward 34 at Ninewells Hospital and his family have spoken of the compassion and respect with which he was cared.
The family said: “The care he received in ward 34 in the final weeks of his life was exceptional and greatly appreciated. He was a loving grandfather to seven children and a gentleman, respected by all who knew him.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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