Family of Arbroath painter who died during Storm Babet pay tribute to ‘loving husband, son, dad and grandad’

The family of a man who died after his van was struck by a tree near Forfar have told of their sadness following the tragedy.

John Gillan, a painter and decorator from Arbroath, died on the B9127 during Storm Babet on Thursday just after 5pm.

Emergency services attended but the 56-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement from the family released by Police Scotland, John was described as a loving husband, son, dad and grandad.

‘We are devastated by the loss of John’

The statement said: “We are devastated by the loss of John and the circumstances in which he died.

“John was a loving husband to Gaynor, dad to Marc, father-in-law to Natasha, and grandad to Reygan and Finley.

“He was also a loving son to John and Moira, brother to Wendy and a loving uncle, son-in-law and brother-in-law.

“John will be deeply missed by us all.

“Thank you to family and friends for supporting us through this indescribably difficult time.

“We’d like to request that our privacy be respected whilst we grieve for John.”

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

John is the second person to have died in Angus during Storm Babet, which devastated the region.

Tributes have also been paid to Perthshire businesswoman, Wendy Taylor, who died after being swept away in a river in Glen Esk on Thursday.