Prominent Dundee businessman and honorary sheriff William (Bill) Sword has died aged 86.
Mr Sword was well known in Dundee property and business circles having set up Morton Properties (Dundee) Ltd in 1972.
He also served for many years as a Justice of the Peace, and was asked to serve as an honorary sheriff.
During his many years in business, Mr Sword found time to serve as president of Dundee Ratepayers’ Association, chairman of Dundee and Angus Ice Rink, chairman of Dundee Ice Arena and as an elder of Clepington Church for more than 40 years.
In 1999, he formed the W M Sword Charitable Trust to help children and young people, which has distributed many thousands of pounds in aid, locally and overseas.
It was all a far cry from when he left school at 14.
He joined the Army Cadet Force and was considering a career in the army when he met Betty Keir and decided that army life was not conducive to married life.
The marriage thrived for 62 years until Betty’s death in 2011.
Having left the army, and with £21 between them, the couple set up a canteen at Bell Street Tech.
Through his daily interactions with students, Mr Sword discovered that they struggled to get suitable accommodation so he started ploughing his canteen income into flats that he rented to the students.
He also ran Swordy’s Snacks, which operated a hut at Dundee United’s Tannadice Park for 21 years.
In 2009, Abertay University awarded him an honorary doctorate for services to the institution.
Mr Sword is survived by his five children and 14 grandchildren.