Donald McLellan - Troon 41 Club
Donald McLellan
Born,September 2nd 1952 – Passed Away,January 28th 2020
It is incredibly sad for our Club to report the passing of Donald McLellan, suddenly, at home, at the relatively young age of 67 years.
Donald touched many hearts, and we have all been changed from having known him. He proved to be a fighter through his many illnesses and setbacks and so it is still a shock that his death came so unexpectedly in the end.
After university, where Donald studied Electrical Engineering, he completed a year’s training with the Scottish Electrical Training Scheme. He then started work with the SSEB in the Kilmarnock Transmission Group and then moved to Transmission Major Projects in SSEB’s head office in Cathcart, Glasgow. A major project undertaken there involved him managing the construction and commissioning of the Scotland-Ireland interconnector. Later, Donald also spent time in central operations support section. He moved jobs to work with Balfour Beatty until he retired.
His colleague at SSEB and a fellow Tabler, the late Alastair Macnee, introduced him to Troon Round Table in 1980. Table played a large part in Donald’s life and he became Chairman in 1991/92. Always leading from the front in his year of office and participating to a high level in many of the club’s events. Fundraising activities included a parachute jump to raise money for the Ayrshire Hospice, collecting for Children in Need on the train on the Troon to Glasgow route, dressed as a Clown and Donald enjoyed being Santa Claus on the Christmas float. As part of Troon Round Table’s Guinness World record breaking Burns Supper Donald organised a helicopter to deliver the haggis.There were also many social activities from caravan weekends to Balls and Scottish and British conferences which often included fancy dress which he and the family enjoyed with their friends from Table.
Donald enjoyed all aspects of soccer and indeed sport in general, throughout his life and was a committed Motherwell FC supporter, I enjoyed our rival banter when I invited him along to many Kilmarnock FC v Motherwell FC fixtures…..I would say “honours were even”!!
Holidaying and travel were great loves of Donald, whether it being on a family camping holiday to France, visits to Alton Towers, numerous trips to Florida with the children or latterly more luxurious cruises and adventures all over the world, he enjoyed them all and he was at his happiest at these times, with his family around him.
On retiring from Table, Donald became a committed member of our 41 Club, enjoying all the camaraderie at our monthly dinner/speaker meetings and joining in our social events, his company will be sorely missed by all of us.
Donald is survived by his wife Marion, whom he married in April 1976, daughter Kirsten (1983) and twin sons Craig and Keith (1985).
Alastair J Crabb – Past Chairman, Troon 41 Club