Life of former Inverness Courier employee Billie Wealleans who championed range of charities and causes to be celebrated on what would have been her 80th birthday
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The life of a woman who championed a range of charities and causes, including women’s issues, will be celebrated today on what would have been her 80th birthday.
Billie Margaret Douglas Woolrych Fisher Wealleans passed away comfortably at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness on August 16 – just weeks before her milestone birthday.
A former employee of The Inverness Courier, she was involved in various organisations including Soroptimist International, Diabetes Scotland, the Clarsach Society and the Speakers Club.
She was born in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Glasgow at the age of five during a very choppy passage which she swore made her immune to seasickness for the rest of her
life.
She moved to the Highlands in the 1970s, and lived in North Kessock.
She worked on many committees, and took great joy in attending meetings and achieving change with others.
Sadly, Billie had been limited by serious health problems for the past three years which had curtailed her ability to engage in the many organisations and charities she loved.
She used her former connection to the Inverness Courier long past her official retirement to further engagement for her charitable interests.
One of her gifts to these charities was to corral those who may previously have had little interest in charity work through varying degrees of “firm encouragement”.
She was very proud of her work with both Westminster, and Holyrood, through the Liberal Democrat party, focusing often on issues specifically affecting women.
She is survived by her daughter Michelle and her family Mary Ellen, Mia and Nathan, who live in the USA.
There will be no funeral because Billie was not a religious person, but there will be an online Zoom event to celebrate her life today at 8.30pm on what would have been her 80th birthday.
Details are available on Facebook or by emailing RememberingBillie@gmail.com.
Donations, if desired, can be made to Diabetes Scotland at my donation, or to Soroptimists International (Scotland North) at donate, in her name.
