‘JOHNDO’ REMEMBERED: Inverness Caley Thistle fans to make poignant 700-mile round trip for funeral of legendary supporter ‘The Immortal Howden Ender’
A group of Caley Thistle fans are set to make an emotional 700-mile journey to pay their last respects to one of the most renowned characters to have stood among them.
Johndo Mackenzie, also known by the online pseudonym The Immortal Howden Ender, died on July 23 after a short illness. He was 67.
He will be laid to rest by family and friends tomorrow (Thursday) at a funeral service in Chorley, Lancashire.
He is survived by wife Lesley (61), daughters Vicki (39) and Isla (25), son Jordan (32) and his fiancé Michelle (32), and grandchildren Leighton (12) and Lucas (7).
ICT diehards Liz MacRae and Lynne MacDonald have rallied a small band of fellow supporters based in Inverness, Aberdeen and Glasgow to attend the well-loved family man’s ceremony together, leaving this evening.
The poignant gesture, for one of the most colourful characters in the club’s 30-year history, comes after the Caledonian Stadium support paid tribute earlier this month with a cacophonous minute’s applause.
Universally remembered as “larger than life” in character, Johndo leaves behind a small army of people who counted him as friend through a shared passion for Caley Thistle.
Few who encountered the loveable rogue in pre-match social situations would forget him, or be spared his sense of fun, mischief and love of a wind-up.
Almost always accompanying him would be noise, laughter and his refreshment of choice, a large vodka and coke.
Born and raised in Inverness, before serving the NHS locally as a mental health social worker, Johndo lived in the Lancashire town with his family for many years, but never lost his passion for his native city - or his favourite football team.
He followed Caledonian from an early age in the Highland League, transferring affections easily to Caley Thistle where others railed against the merger with Inverness Thistle.
A trademark of Johndo’s was an impromptu stadium congo dance when the mood or moment took him.
His scrapes and capers on foreign and domestic footballing trips were the stuff of legend.
During Caley Thistle’s famous European football baptism in 2015, the incredible heat of Romania’s Giurgiu eventually got the better of him after long hours of socialising in the sun.
There was concern as a local ambulance crew carried him onboard to apply a drip after diagnosing heatstroke and severe dehydration, only for Johndo to re-emerge Lazarus-like, arms aloft, through the vehicle’s back doors some time later.
His first query to disbelieving acquaintances was to ask where his next ‘medicinal’ fluid intake would be coming from.
Whether it was Bucharest, Birmingham or pre-match libations in the Innes Bar, none of it was ever mean-spirited. He was a man who, away from football nonsense, was intelligent, thoughtful and caring.
At the recent Caley Thistle home match against Dumbarton, daughter Isla was able to capture on video a rapturous and heart-rending minute’s applause in his honour.
Isla, who stays in Glasgow, told the Courier: “As a family, we want to thank everyone for the lovely messages, cards and flowers.
“Reading them is something that has given us all some light in this dark time.
“All the recollections of our dad and his shenanigans show how much impact he made on so many people's lives.
“He was extremely well-loved by his family, and by his ICT family, and dad instilled in all of us a deep love of Caley and Inverness.
“He once gave me a birthday party at the Caledonian Stadium with a limousine, stadium tour and a meeting with my favourite player, Juanjo.
“My brother Jordan was at the 2015 Scottish Cup Final with him where he spray-painted his hair and beard red and blue and then cried his eyes out when we won.
“I think that is our best Caley Thistle memory of my dad, for sure.
“Dad was also convinced my mum, who only went to occasional Caley games, was a good luck charm.
“It is fitting she and the grandkids were at the Annan game with him the day before he went into hospital.
“Everything he did revolved around all of us and nothing was too big an ask. As a family, we all knew the true meaning of what it meant to be loved and cared about.”
Tributes have poured in for Johndo.
One of Liz MacRae’s fondest memories was of Johndo taking it upon himself to conduct the crowd after winning the First Division and then beating Ayr 7-0.
He kept up the responsibility until none other than manager Terry Butcher arrived to take over.
Liz said: “Johndo was a true Inverness legend.
“As a Caley animal pre-merger and after, everybody knew The Immortal Howden Ender, full of passion for the club.
“I don’t think there is a Caley fan that does not have at least one story that involves Johndo, but many you could not publish!
“He was a real family man, too, bringing his children and more recently his grandson into the next generation of ICT fans.
“He was just one of a kind. ICT have lost a much-loved member of the Caley family and I still can't believe he has gone.”
Lynne MacDonald echoed those sentiments and added: “Our wee group is known as the Caley Ladies and I know one of Johndo’s great wishes was that Isla would join us.
“In his memory, we’re planning a wee inauguration for Isla in the near future, bringing her right into the fold.”
Former Caley Thistle fans’ representative David Balfour also knew Johndo through their shared profession of social work and as team-mates with Craig Dunain Rugby Club.
David said: “He wasn’t a bad scrum half in his day.
“As a mental health nurse, I'd known him since I was a student at Craig Dunain. Believe me, his mischief wasn't confined to football, but he was an absolute professional.
“He came back to the job a few times and just couldn’t let it go. He was one of those guys that just lived to communicate with people, a natural for the job.
“In his case, he was brilliant at it.
“He was also a guy who could make you genuinely believe the point of view he was putting forward, only to discover he was lining you up!
“He was possibly the best wind-up merchant I’ve ever met, just unbelievable.”
On social media, there has been an outpouring of emotion.
Scott Mackenzie, of the Caley Thistle Online site, wrote: “I have known Johndo since I was a kid in Dalneigh. At school, he was always one of the cool kids.
“He was a dedicated medical professional in real life, but outside of that stressful environment, most of us knew him more as a joker, an irreverent character - and wind-up merchant extraordinaire.
“Above everything else, Johndo was a friend to all who knew him.”