I was so sorry to hear of the sudden loss of Ian.  He was a great person to know, play golf with or just catch up for a chat.  He was one of life’s encouragers and was very kind to me on more than one occasion when commenting on church worship.  He took a real interest in my family and loved bringing me up to speed on how the boys were doing which was always great to hear.  His leading or contributions to the Communion service at Riverside were always full of meaning and was a blessing to those attending.  He always had a smile on his face and was warm and genuine – that’s my lasting memory of Ian.

He was an involved member of Riverside Church for many years, and the organiser of the Riverside Open which was played at Girvan every May Day bank holiday for circa 25 years and I can truly say it was one of the highlights of the year.  The success of this annual event was very much down to the meticulous preparation and organisation by Ian.  He was superb at hosting, always giving an amusing speech full of statistics and jokes and always being accomodating and encouraging to everyone who attended.  Of course he usually beat the majority of the field too.  I was in touch with Ian recently to discuss the Riverside Open where he reminisced about the good times and sounded like he was still really enjoying his golf at Turnberry and life in general.

It’s a comfort to know that Ian is with God now but it’s really tough for those left behind.  Pamela and I send love to Christine as well as Kenny, Gordon and Greg and their wives along with the kids and extended family.  You are in our prayers.  I hope to catch up soon – phone or drop me a message any time.

Stuart Stevenson