Sandy's Eulogy
It was Fleur who summed up Sandy well when she said
For some people the glass is always half empty
For some it's half full
For Sandy the glass wasn't half empty
It wasn't half full
It was completely full
He loved life, all of it, and lived it
His family and friends, his hobbies, his work
He enjoyed it all
The most important things to Sandy were his Family and Friends
He always said the happiest day of his life was when he married Fleur
And I know recently becoming a father added to his happiness
When I last spoke to him, he was excitedly describing how Ross was growing
And his personality was emerging.
He frequently returned to Stroneskar to visit his parents and brother
Whilst there he would pull on the boots and help out on the farm
Over the years, he made many friends and always made an effort to stay in touch
Many here will have known Sandy since he was very young
Others will have only known him as the successful consultant
Fleur has suggested I recall this story from when he was a child:
When Sandy was in Primary School, the children had a garden plot in which they grew plants
One day it was raining so heavily that the children were kept in over their break
The teacher noticed that Sandy was laboriously pulling on his wellington boots and raincoat
“Where are you going on such a wet day”, she asked
He replied — “to water the plants”
As that story suggests he was very diligent
And he was very hard working,
Both on the farm and in the office, becoming a Director at Deloitte
He delighted in the opportunities his job brought him
Especially to learn about other companies
And to meet the interesting characters that inhabit the business world
But work was only a part of his life
He enjoyed cars and motor-sports
He would arrange days out to watch the touring car racing
He even went a couple of times to Monza in Italy to watch the Grand Prix
Ever canny, he calculated it was actually cheaper to go to the Italian Grand Prix
Than to go to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone
But he wasn't an armchair fan
He owned a series of Subaru or Mitsubishi cars, models based on rally cars
And with Duncan he built two kit cars for out and out performance
With these various cars he would hurtle around the race tracks of Britain
Now and then quite literally around the track rather than on it
But that's not to detract from the fact he was a very accomplished driver
At home, the Alpacas in the paddock,
(not quite a flock of blackface sheep, but they would do)
And the ubiquitous Ferguson tractor in the shed
Suggest, in his heart, he was as much the West Highland farmer
As the city professional
On holiday he enjoyed visiting many places around the world
Taking every opportunity
To practice his favourite watersports of windsurfing and snorkelling
Never letting the little detail, that he couldn't swim, get in the way
Above all he was a people person
He would talk to anyone, and frequently did
He always had a story about someone he had met the other week
In company, he made an effort to speak to everyone
His Family and his Friends were his priority
When I got married, he was my best man
And everyone I've spoken to agrees,
He was the best of men
— Alasdair Macleod
Kilmartin Church, 20 March 2008