Fay’s parents were Malcolm and Sheila Allan (nee Clark). Malcolm was born in Manchester and his family relocated to Newton Stewart when he was five. Malcolm’s parents Kathleen (Kitty) and James (Jim) Allan had four sons, Bill, Tom, Donald and Malcolm, the youngest. Fay had seven cousins on Malcolm’s side.
Sheila was born and brought up in Edinburgh. Her parents Norah and Peter Clark both came from large families themselves, but Sheila was their only child. Norah’s sister Nessie lived three doors down from Norah and Peter on Richmond Terrace.
Malcolm and Sheila met at a badminton club in Glasgow and they married in March 1971. Their first home was in Clarkston and Fay arrived in September 1972. They later moved to Robslee Road in Thornliebank, and Heather was born in January 1975. Robslee Road remained the family home, and they had a happy suburban life in the Thornliebank and Giffnock community. Malcolm was an engineer and worked at the Rolls-Royce plant in Hillington. Sheila was a registered nurse, and after motherhood she worked as a researcher, writer and adult educator. Malcolm loved sports, the outdoors and nature, and he was very “handy”, always to be found fixing things and making things. Sheila loved music, writing, crafts and creating artwork. Evenings in the family home were filled with the sound of Sheila playing the piano, her knitting needles clicking, or her sewing machine whirring. Malcolm brought his rural green fingers to Robslee and the back garden was always bursting with fruit and vegetable produce.
Although Sheila had no siblings, two of her closest school friends, Anne and Moira, had also moved to Glasgow in their adulthood. Their families and the Allan family spent many holidays and visits together throughout the children’s childhood years, the most memorable being the annual October holiday trips to Creich Farmhouse.
With the two sets of grandparents living in different towns, it was always a joy to go and visit them in Edinburgh and Newton Stewart, and equally a treat when they came to stay at Robslee. Granny and Grandad Allan always had dogs, and this was a source of great delight for Fay and Heather. Susie, the white poodle was first in Fay’s lifetime, then Judy the apricot poodle, and latterly two black poodles, Sherry and Lucy. Newton Stewart holidays were an adventure wonderland of river swimming, beach trips, forest walks, and hours spent in the large garden at the house. Visits to Edinburgh were a fascinating contrast of tenement buildings and city life, with many walks into Edinburgh city centre and all the excitement and culture it had to offer. Fay was clearly influenced by all aspects of her parents’ and grandparents’ lives and interests. She loved the arts and culture, and she was equally happy in the outdoors enjoying nature.
Fay’s Grandad Allan (Jim) passed away in 1986. It was a huge loss for Kitty (Granny Allan), however she managed to adjust and keep going in the old family home in Newton Stewart. Malcolm and all the brothers had always visited home often, and they did this even more so after Kitty was on her own.
In 1993, Fay’s beloved mum Sheila was diagnosed with breast cancer. After several rounds of treatment, and some periods of relative well-being, Sheila’s cancer returned and she passed away in September 1996. The illness and loss of Sheila deeply affected the whole family and left a large hole in everyone’s lives. Granny Allan, Kitty, passed away only six weeks later, a very sad loss for Malcolm, Fay and Heather so soon after losing Sheila. Five months later in February 1997, Peter Clark (Sheila’s father) passed away peacefully in his sleep. He had been completely devastated by the loss of his daughter and, whether it’s possible or not, we all felt that he had died of a broken heart. A few years after Sheila’s death, Sheila’s wedding ring was stolen from Fay’s house. It was something Fay had treasured and the loss of the ring affected her for a long time. In a very odd coincidence, Sheila’s engagement ring that Heather had treasured, was also lost about two and a half years later, when Heather was exactly the same age that Fay had been when the wedding ring was lost. Neither the wedding nor the engagement ring were ever recovered.
Despite all the turmoil and sadness at the time of Sheila’s illness, Fay met Brian Purves through her job at the Bank of Scotland and they became engaged in 1996, marrying in August 1998. Brian’s parents, Sheena and Bob, lived in Loanhead where Brian had grown up. Brian’s sister Pam became firm friends with Fay and they had many adventures together over the years. Pam married Steve McLean in 2000, and they settled in West Linton. Malcolm met Cath Robertson in 2000, and Fay instantly took to Cath and enjoyed having her as part of the family. Fay and Brian’s first son Fraser was born in December 2003, and their second son Blair was born in September 2006. In 2009 Fay and Brian divorced, however they remained close to each other and the extended family continued to get together, with the boys at the centre of everyone.
Fay was very close to Granny Clark (Norah) and was a great support to her. They spent many happy visits together over the years. Norah lived to the age of 93, an incredibly strong woman whose friends and family meant everything to her.
Fay moved to 98 Blackford Avenue in 2009, the place that was to be her home for the rest of her life. She put a lot of work into adding her own style and touches to the flat and she especially loved the garden at the back. The garden was the place where she nurtured her plants, worked with her Dad and Cath to uncover and re-establish the allotment that had been left to become overgrown, and it was a place that was very well used for friends and family gatherings over the years.
A family life, like most, filled with love, joy and sometimes sadness, but more than anything filled with wonderful, abiding memories.
