OBITUARY: Family and friends of Bettyhill native Marcus Bannerman Mackay invited to local hotel to share memories of him
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People in the Bettyhill area are being given the opportunity to pay their last respects to long-time exile Marcus Bannerman Mackay who died recently at the age of 70.
Family, friends and neighbours are invited to share memories of Marcus at the Bettyhill Hotel from 2pm on Saturday, April 13, following a private ceremony at which his ashes will be scattered at the mouth of the River Naver where he worked at salmon fishing.
Born in Inverness, Marcus moved as a young boy with his parents, John Kenneth and Margaret, when they took over the family croft at Crask, on the eastern edge of the village.
He was educated at Farr Primary School, Dornoch Academy and Golspie High School, where he was a Dux.
He went on to study English Literature at Edinburgh University, and during his holidays worked at the salmon fishing station in his home village.
Teaching stints in Nigeria and Germany followed before Marcus returned to the UK to embark on a legal career.
After graduating in English law, he worked for 15 years at the London law firm that became Taylor Lessing.
He was head of the real estate department and was widely respected as a very shrewd and able but fair practitioner. During his time there, he helped train junior lawyers and helped develop the firm into a leading property practice.
He and his wife Christine, whom he met in Germany, moved from the city 11 years to the Shropshire village of Child's Ercall, near Market Dreyton.
Although he retired from the firm 20 years ago, he continued to work until recently for former clients and the Fife family of Wemyss on contracts in countries as diverse as the Seychelles, Australia, Libya, Tunisia, France and Malta.
He was also heavily involved in community affairs in his adopted village where he played a key role in paving the way for a new children's play park and for a ban on heavy traffic passing through the village.
He also acted as an informal counsellor, helping local people to resolve legal disputes and financial problems.
He had recently cut back his voluntary activities and he and Christine, a retired civil servant, were looking forward to enjoying a belated retirement together when he was struck down by illness.
Marcus, a voracious reader, was recovering well from a hip replacement operation when it was discovered in early January that he was terminally ill. He died at home on February 27, aged 70.
He is survived by Christine; his son Duncan, daughter-in-law Ruth and granddaughters Alice and Isobel, in Manchester, along with his sister Jane, in Thurso, and his younger brother Angus, in Crask.
A funeral service was held at Telford Crematorium, Shropshire, on March 20.
