The former vice-chairman of the Friends of Crieff Cottage Hospital, James “Jamie” Cowan, has died at the age of 89.
He passed away at Crieff Community Hospital on September 21.
Born in London, he moved with his parents Elizabeth and Ian to Glasgow. He studied at Glasgow Academy and then Queen’s College, Oxford, where he read classics and, in 1943, passed his Honours Moderations in that subject.
His academic career was then interrupted by the war and he joined the Queen’s Royal Regiment, but in November 1944, was commissioned into the 9th Gurkha Rifles and went on to serve with the Chindits division in January 1945.
By December he had been promoted captain and appointed quartermaster of his battalion, a position he held until he was demobbed in April 1947.
Resuming his education at Oxford, where this time he read philosophy, politics and economics, he played rugby for his college firsts and was in the rowing team.
In 1949 he joined J&P Coats, the thread makers, as a management trainee, rising to director of global manufacturing by the time he retired in 1985.
During his career he and wife Marguerite lived in Brazil, where daughters Christine and Fiona were born, before moving to work in India in 1957.
In 1961 they returned to Scotland, where son Ian was born, settling in Comrie in 1976.
Mr Cowan supported charities such as the Abbeyfield Society, Crossroads in Glasgow and Friends of Crieff Cottage Hospital.
He also founded Parish care in Comrie. In 1995 he was awarded an OBE for his work with Crossroads. He is survived by his wife and three children.