Family and friends have paid tribute at a memorial service for Forfar GP Bill Yule who was found dead in his home in December.
Along with his daughter Rosemary, former colleagues and patients were among those who gathered at the town’s Lowson Memorial Church to commemorate the life of the 90-year-old whose body was discovered at his Hillside Road home on December 6.
The service on Saturday was taken by the church’s minister Karen Fenwick.
Arbroath man Alan Massie has appeared in court accused of Dr Yule’s murder.
When he appeared in private at Dundee Sheriff Court on December 8 he made no plea and no motion was made for bail.
Private cremation
Dr Yule was cremated in a private ceremony several weeks ago, in keeping with his own wishes.
The events surrounding his death shocked the Forfar town where he worked as a GP for many years.
In her eulogy Dr Fenwick said Dr Yule didn’t want a big funeral service and no fuss.
She added: “But his dedication to our community here in Forfar and the tragic events that took place in December almost demand a response from us.
“The doctor that we all knew and loved was trained in Edinburgh before carrying out his national service in the navy as a ship’s doctor and so he travelled the world.
“On leaving the navy, he became a hugely dedicated GP and married Kirsty who was a hugely dedicated midwife and she ably assisted him in his work.
“Their family was complete with the birth of their two daughters, Katey and Rosemary.”
She said: “There were many comments upon his death from people recalling how his attendance to them or a loved one had resulted in a serious illness being spotted or a life saved, or how he came out to them on Christmas day or Easter Sunday – and this is a testament to how seriously he took his work. He was selfless and dedicated.”
Family are still struggling
Announcing the service earlier this month Dr Yule’s family said they are still struggling to come to terms with what happened.
“We look on the memorial service as a chance to find peace and to show grace and appreciation for the good in the world rather than its horror,” a family spokesman said.
“It is a chance for those who wish to do so to pay their respects and to mark the tragic death of a well known local doctor, who helped many people through a lifetime of dedication to his job.”
Dr Yule was a well known and highly-respected as a GP across Angus.
He was a familiar face after working in the Green Street practice, Forfar, which became Academy Street Medical Centre.
In an interview with The Courier in 2010, he told how he had grown up in Morayshire before leaving to study medicine at Edinburgh University.
He retired in 1992 and went on to write several books and research papers in his retirement.
