BORN in Glasgow in 1926, Duncan McLachlan worked as a Church of Scotland minister for all his adult life and is perhaps best remembered as minister at Sherwood Church in Paisley, where he served for more than a quarter of a century.
After leaving Alan Glen's school, Duncan intended to pursue a career as a chartered surveyor and joined the firm of Keir and Cawdor in Bishopbriggs. However, he was called up for National Service and spent much of his time in the army in Germany. He served as a second lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, then decided to go into full-time ministry in the Church.
He graduated MA, BD from Glasgow University and won a Fulbright scholarship to Princeton Theological Seminary. He graduated Master of Theology and returned to Scotland in 1955. He was a Church of Scotland parish minister, first in St Margaret's Kirn, then St Margaret's Dunfermline, before moving to the Paisley congregation in 1965, remaining until his retirement in 1992.
He married Nancy Fenwick in 1952 and their son, David, was born in 1956. Two years later, tragedy struck the family when Nancy collapsed and died while pregnant with their second child. It was the darkest moment of Duncan's life.
It also forced him to ask hard questions of his beliefs, yet his faith remained intact. In later days, he would reflect that, in the end, it probably made him a better minister - more able to understand and empathise with others in theirworst times.
Happily, Duncan met Anna Smith and they were married in 1960, moving to a new church in Dunfermline in the same year. Together, they had two children, Sheila and Elspeth, who with son, David, completed the family.
With 10 years' experience of parish ministry under his belt, Duncan was called to Sherwood Church, where he would serve faithfully until his retirement. He was an evangelical minister in outlook. He had been influenced by the work of Scripture Union in his schooldays and had gone on to lead a number of seaside missions.
Duncan felt preaching was closest to his heart but was nevertheless a faithful pastor. The congregation of Sherwood soon came to appreciate his care, support and hard work.
In the wider work of the Church of Scotland, he served as convener for education for the ministry committee. He also oversaw the training of a succession of probationer ministers, as well as acting as Moderator of Paisley Presbytery.
Duncan was a man who found himself (like all parish ministers) in the heart of the real world - dealing with the big issues of life and death, celebration and tragedy. Yet he somehow managed to preserve a kind of innocence about him in his outlook. He was a person with no guile - a person who never got cynical.
After retirement, Duncan continued to help the Church through his work at St Mark's Oldhall as pastoral associate, and through various preaching engagements in congregations in Paisley and Glasgow.
Duncan had many interests outside his work. He was involved with The Bohemians in Paisley and The Probus Club, where he was a past president. He had a particular love for Tarbert, Loch Fyne, Anna's birthplace, and the wee house that provided such a great escape from the bustle of the central belt.
Duncan was diagnosed with cancer over 14 years ago, yet it was only in recent months that the disease started to take its toll. He faced his death at home without any complaining, strong in the faith to which he had committed his life, and surrounded by the family who meant so much to him.
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