An Inverness hero from Merkinch has passed away to the sound of the chanter
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Jock Grant (88) passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Raigmore Hospital on June 15.
His great nephew, Michael, is in the Scots Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Upon hearing the news of Jock’s condition he drove up from England arriving just in time to play for him one last time before he passed away.
Mr Grant was well-known in Merkinch where he resided for most of his life with late wife Morag.
He was born in 1934 in Forres, though, and during the war the family lived and worked on the Lossie Farm estate, surrounded by hundreds of Lancasters, Wellingtons and Spitfires.
Mr Grant met Morag on a night out and they married in the 1950s.
No stranger to danger and not afraid to act when necessary Mr Grant undertook more than one risky manoeuvre over the years for the benefit of other people.
Only in his twenties, he managed the former Bonawood chipboard factory in Inverness on the night it caught fire.
Aware of the potential disaster, he crawled under the flames and switched off a gas supply, saving the factory and surrounding community from worse damage.
More remarkably, however, he also jumped into an icy River Ness at the Black Bridge some years later, on New Year’s Day in 1988, to come to the aid of a man who had fallen into the water.
For his efforts on that occasion he received a humanitarian bravery certificate from the former Northern Constabulary.
The man whose assistance he came to, Bert, became a close friend of his in the aftermath. No wonder!
Mr Grant also worked for six years at SPF, a frozen food delivery firm, and then went on to become the foreman of McGruther and Marshall’s for a long stint, ultimately becoming store manager.
His work there included helping to introduce new lines such as shiploads of Spanish Slate brought in to replace the output of the Ballachulish quarry.
In later years, during his retirement, Mr Grant worked tirelessly to help however he could within the community in Merkinch, including a spot of gardening for older ladies who were unable to manage for themselves.
He also spent much of his time dedicated to his own wonderful garden.
He cared for Morag for 10 years before she passed away at Raigmore Hospital in 2019.
Son Garry said: “His own passing was sudden and unexpected and was due to double pneumonia, despite him reassuring us all that he was ‘fine, fine, no problem at all’ right up until he was admitted, having spent the days before toiling in his beloved garden, aged 88.”
Mr Grant leaves behind loving son and daughter Jennifer and Garry along with five grandchildren.
