The family of a former Carnoustie Golf Club captain have been left devastated after he died hours before a lifesaving operation.
Doting grandfather David Mitchell (74), who lived in Dundee, was due to go undergo surgery after suffering from an aneurysm which was pressing against his organs and affecting his lungs.
Tragically, he collapsed and died in the shower on the morning of his operation at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary after the aneurysm burst.
Mr Mitchell’s wife Catherine (72) said: ”It was just so sudden. He died just before he was due to be taken to theatre. He was having a shower and the aneurysm burst.
“It was a real shock when we got the call from the hospital and everyone is devastated.”
Mrs Mitchell said her husband was a former smoker but he had kicked the habit many years ago. She said he kept himself fit but had begun coughing badly during a holiday to Mallorca with grandson Christopher (11) towards the end of the year.
Mrs Mitchell said the coughing continued when they returned home and she asked him to go and get it checked out.
She said: ”They sent for x-rays because his chest and lungs were clear but they found an aneurysm which was pushing against his vital organs.”
Surgery to repair the aneurysm was scheduled for Edinburgh Royal Infirmary last Wednesday and his family visited Mr Mitchell the day before.
Mrs Mitchell said her husband was in good spirits and walked them back to the front door of the hospital before saying his goodbyes.
”That was the last time we saw him because he asked me not to come through the next day because he would be in intensive care,” she added. ”I got a phone call on Wednesday morning to say he had died while they were preparing for the operation. It was such a shock and I’ve just been trying to stay calm ever since.
”He was a lovely man who would do anything for anybody. He was very popular, he loved his family and he doted on his grandson.”
Born in Perth, Mr Mitchell lived in Arbroath until the age of eight before moving back to the Fair City. A former Perth Academy pupil, he trained as a chartered accountant before working as a shop assistant in JD Smith’s soft furnishings. It was there that he met his future wife and the couple would go on to marry at Letham Church in 1960.
Mr Mitchell was persuaded to take the civil service exams and came sixth out of 3,000 people who sat them. This led to a job with the Post Office which saw Mr and Mrs Mitchell moving to Guildford as he worked his way up the ladder.
By the time Mr Mitchell took early retirement he was personnel manager and finance manager with British Telecom in Dundee. However, he took up another job in the mail room at General Accident on Perth Road before finally calling it a day.
On his retirement Mr Mitchell continued to work on his golf swing, a passion he had from a young age growing up in Perth. He represented Perth Boys and was a member of Alyth and Monifieth golf clubs before getting the opportunity to join the ranks at Carnoustie.
Mr Mitchell was eventually made club captain at Carnoustie, most memorably during the time of the 1999 Open where Jean van de Velde famously played a shot from the Barry Burn.
He was well known in golfing circles across Tayside but also enjoyed gardening and spending time with his grandson.
Mr Mitchell is survived by wife Catherine, daughter Jacqui and grandson Christopher. He was also dad to his late son Steve.