Former Dundee butcher Jimmy Reilly has passed away in Ninewells Hospital at the age of 86 following an illness.
Jimmy, proprietor of James H Reilly Family Butchers in Clepington Road for almost 30 years, was born in the Polepark area of Dundee and grew up in Beechwood.
He attended St Joseph’s school before beginning his apprenticeship with W. Simpson of Polepark Road in 1938.
Jimmy joined the army towards the end of the Second World War and served in Palestine and Kenya before returning to Dundee, eventually opening his own butcher shop in 1965.
As most people did not have telephones in their homes at the time, the shop served as a community hub, with many residents receiving calls from expatriate children or making emergency calls from the shop’s line.
As well as serving thousands of Coldside residents over the years, the shop’s customers included giants of Dundee’s industrial past, such as NCR, Baxters, Eagles, Bonar Long, Timex and Caledon Robb, who would buy meat from Jimmy for their canteens.
The Dundee meat trade organised sporting events, clubs, dinner dances and other social occasions, and Jimmy played a leading role in many of the societies.
He also played in the butchers v ministers charity football match, held annually at either Dens Park or Tannadice.
Sport was a huge part of Jimmy’s life and it was through his participation in badminton leagues that he met his much-loved wife Doreen.
The couple married in 1957, and Jimmy built their own home in Macnabb Place, where he was to live for the rest of his life.
He was a member of Downfield Golf Club for around 40 years and also enjoyed curling, skiing and waterskiing well beyond his retiral in 1993.
During his retirement, Jimmy regularly visited his son, David, in Greece and his brothers in California as well as spending time researching the history of his family and of the Dundee meat trade.
Doreen passed away in 1993 and the couple are survived by David and their grandson, Joshua.
Jimmy’s funeral will be held at Dundee Crematorium at 12.30pm on Friday.