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He then moved on
to International Packaging, and on a night out in
Glasgow with his close friend Hugh Ward, he met
Margaret at the then named ‘White Elephant’. It must
have been love, as Willie somehow managed to
convince Margaret to leave the city lights behind
for married life in a cottage on the outskirts of
Maybole.
Willie and
Margaret married on December 3, 1977, at St Paul’s
in Glasgow. Shortly after, he left Interpak and
began a 30 year career with the Scottish Ambulance
Service, making many friends and fast becoming a
well known face in the town. Through his work in the
Ambulance Service and his captaincy of the Boys
Brigade, Willie was one of the most recognisable
faces in Maybole, and one of its most respected
sons.
“Serving as an
ambulance technician for 30 years was an ideal job
for Willie,” said Rev Moore, “because he was a
caring man who loved people. He was highly regarded
in his profession.
“In December 1999,
he was awarded a Scroll of Appreciation for services
to the community and, just a few years ago, attended
a Garden Party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
“Willie was one of
these persons who were always doing something. He
seemed to have loads of energy.
“As if a demanding
job was not enough, he was involved in the Boys’
Brigade. In fact, 50 years of his life was linked to
the Boys’ Brigade.
“Such was his
dedication; I am told that on occasion he took the
company when he was on call. So, yes, sometimes a BB
captain takes parades wearing a green boiler suit!”
Rev Moore
continued, “Willie was a family man. He and Margaret
met in what was called The White Elephant in
Glasgow. Willie’s friend Hugh also met his wife
Terry there.
“I say friend but
Hugh was more like an adopted brother. Willie and
Margaret, Hugh and Terry had many happy times
together.
“Married for
31years, Margaret was supportive of Willie and all
that Willie was able to achieve with the BB, was in
no small way, helped by Margaret being there when
needed.
“Willie and
Margaret had a good marriage blessed by three
children, Rebecca, Rachael and Fraser.”
His work and his
service to the town brought Willie great pride, but
he was most proud of raising three happy, healthy
children. Rebecca, Rachael and Fraser will always
remember a loving, caring father who put their needs
and well-being above his own. The fruits of Willie’s
labour funded all three of them through university,
and they say that this, combined with the example
their father gave them, has set them up well for
life.
Willie loved to
travel and did so extensively, visiting his brother
Martin in South Africa numerous times, as well as
visiting Australia and multiple trips to America.
With friends Hugh and Terry, Margaret and Willie
enjoyed many holidays, and had planned to enjoy many
more with retirement approaching.
Rev Moore added,
“Even though Willie loved travelling and seeing the
world, he always came back to Maybole.
“He was awfully
proud, in the right way, of Maybole. Born and
brought up here, he spent his working life here.”
Rev Moore said
that Willie was good at drawing and sketching and he
also liked listening to music, especially country
and western.
“The sudden onset
of his illness came as a shock to many,” he said,
“but Willie bore it with typical dignity and not
complaining.
“We are left in his passing, as in
his life, with that sense of quiet dignity.”
At the funeral service, Willie’s son
Fraser also spoke, “I struggle today to find any
words true enough to describe a man who spent his
entire life putting the interests of others above
his own.
“It is clear today, as I look at how
many people have turned up to pay respects to my
dad, as it has been all week when apparent strangers
stop me in the street and tell me how wonderful a
man my dad was, that the world is a poorer place
without him.
“I was planning to give an example of
exactly why this is the case, but anyone here today
will have a story of their own, and for a life lived
so true, filled with so many acts of random kindness
and sustained by a relentless desire to care for
other people, no one example seems appropriate.
“The disease which eventually took
Willie from us did not do it at once. Gradually, it
stole many of the things which made my dad the
capable man he was, but even this most complex of
diseases with the most hopeless prognosis was
powerless to change the essence of the man nor the
qualities that truly defined him.
“Right to the end my dad was the
caring gentle giant he had always been, not an
unkind word left his mouth.
“For my family, the only comfort I
can offer is that the suffering and the grief we
feel today is ours; it is not dad’s, for he is at
peace. The enormity of the void that my dad leaves
behind merely represents the great pride that must
be yours, Mum, for a man so complete, who loved you
so completely. And the immense privilege, Rebecca
and Rachael, that is surely ours, for a man whom it
was an honour enough to have known, was a man who,
above all else, was proud that we were his own.”
Willie Boyce was one of Maybole’s
most popular sons, and over a lifetime spent in the
town, he endeared himself to everyone he knew.
His passing leaves an obvious void in
the lives of Margaret, Rebecca, Rachael, Fraser and
his brothers Martin and Edward.
The town has lost one of its most
active servants, and the large turnout at his
funeral last Thurday May 21 was testament to just
how well thought of Willie was, and how sadly he
will be missed. The funeral was at Maybole Cemetery
after the service in Maybole Baptist Church.
I was quiet at school drawing
being my happiest activity - I was bullied a bit -
but I came through it all thanks to one person,
Willie Boyce. I remember him looking out for me and
being a true friend. More than forty years have
passed I never saw Willie again but I will never
forget him or his kindness. Philip Maltman London
(June 20th 2009) |
