A popular former art teacher at Morgan Academy has died suddenly.
Don Ewen, 74, who was head of the school’s art department before his retirement around 15 years ago, died from sepsis on Saturday having fallen ill on Thursday.
He was buried at a cemetery in Kalathos, Rhodes, near to where he lived most recently.
After retiring, Don had moved to Líndos, in Greece, with his wife Irma Demianczuk and the pair quickly settled into ‘quiet’ retired life there.
The couple were due to celebrate their 50th anniversary this week, to mark the day they met at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, where they both studied.
Irma, 70, said: “It’s been a very traumatic time. He was a unique character, people were drawn to him and loved him.
“We’ve made so many friends here in Greece and he was a very popular teacher in Dundee. I’ve been inundated with messages and support.”
Don’s friend of 25 years, Gilbert Grossett, had visited the couple in Greece every year since they moved, having only just returned from a trip a few weeks ago.
Gilbert, 60, of Monikie, said: “I was deeply saddened when I found out, I was in tears thinking about it.
“It was a real shock because I’m just back from seeing him and he was on top form, his usual self – I didn’t realise that would be the last time I’d see him.
“Don was a one-off, a great person. He was always telling stories, he was great to listen to, a real funny guy, a real character.”
Gilbert said that despite having made many friends in Líndos, Don, who previously lived in the West End, was always keen to “catch up on the gossip” from Dundee.
Early life
Having grown up in Newburgh in Fife, and attended Bell Baxter High School, Don moved to Dundee in his late teenage years to study at art school in 1965.
He went on to specialise in ceramics and the year after he graduated in 1971, Don taught an evening class, which is how he met Irma, then a pottery student.
Irma said: “We hit it off straight away. Our eyes locked across the room and there was definitely a spark.”
Don moved to Errol for a brief period before returning to Dundee in 1973, taking up post as an art teacher at Morgan Academy.
He continued to work there until his retirement in 2005, by which point Don was principal art teacher.
Irma said: “He was an excellent teacher. It wasn’t his first choice but creativity doesn’t pay so he started it because it was a job.
“But he grew to love it. He was adored as a teacher and it soon became a vocation instead of a chore.”
Don found an outlet for his creative side, helping Irma run a ceramics studio and business in the city for 30 years.
He would often swap ceramics and other artworks he made with his friends, including sculptor David Annand, who also studied at Duncan of Jordanstone in the 1960s.
David, 73, from Kilmany in Fife, said: “We were a bit like a family then, it was a wonderful time to be there [at art college].
“Don was hugely talented and a very popular teacher. He was an entertainer and could hold court in any company.”
David’s wife Jean, 70, added that Don was a very stylish man, in his dress sense and the way he altered clothes to his taste, remembering one time he turned a duffle coat inside out.
Later in life his interest turned to hats, which he made himself. When Don moved to Greece his signature look became wearing a beret.
Jean added: “We’re all devastated. It’s a long time since we’ve seen him but he was a good guy.”
