When her Spitfire pilot boyfriend was killed during the Second World War, Agnes Dunsire, who has died aged 98, never found anyone to fill the void.
She remained single and carved out a highly successful career in the NHS.
Agnes, known as Nan, was a native of Lochgelly who went on to spend 35 years working at Perth Royal Infirmary, many of them in the maternity unit.
By the time she retired in 1982, she was the senior nursing officer after having been a ward sister.
She was also a great supporter of Perth Theatre and was recognised by the Princess Royal for 25 years’ service to the Save the Children shop in the city.
Nan was the third of four siblings and her father was a coalminer who served with distinction as a Black Watch sergeant during the First World War. He was awarded the Military Medal for his actions in the trenches.
She was an accomplished pupil at Lochgelly West Primary School and continued to shine at Lochgelly East Secondary School where, in her final year, she was the Dux.
After school, she started work at Lochgelly Co-op where her brother Jim was an assistant, but being so petite she had to stand on a box to be high enough for the counter.
Although Nan would have liked to join the Land Girls, her grandmother did not approve, so she started nursing training at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
She then went to work at West Fife Infectious Diseases Hospital, Dunfermline, where she was joined by her young sister Marta, who later became a health visitor based in Dunfermline.
In 1947, Nan moved to the maternity unit at Perth Royal Infirmary and, by 1953, aged 31, she was a ward sister before being promoted to senior nursing officer, although she did prefer ward nursing to management.
In her retirement, Nan remained active and delivered meals-on-wheels with the WVRS.
Her various interests including The Women’s League of Health and Beauty where she made long-lasting friendships.
Nan was also a helper to Perth Theatre where a volunteer team would stuff envelopes for posting out to patrons.
She was a keen traveller and, with her sister Marta, holidayed in Portugal, Norway, Cyprus, Malta and the west coast of Scotland.
Nan was a member of St Leonard’s-in-the-Fields Church, Perth, and lived nearby at St Leonard’s Bank overlooking the South Inch for most of her time in the city.
In later years, Nan lived with dementia at Rivendell House in Birnam.
She is survived by her sister Marta who still lives in the family home in Lochgelly.