A family friend of Connie McNeilance, from Leven, who died aged 95, has paid tribute to the “extraordinary woman” who was like a mother to her.
A former police officer and musician who founded a trust to give talented artists the chance to study in Dundee, Connie died after a short illness.
Close friend Ann Clark said Mrs Mac, as she was known to many, was an “unusual and fascinating” woman who made an impression on everyone who knew her.
Born at the end of the First World War, Connie was a polio survivor who was later in the Glasgow police force along with her husband John, who predeceased her.
The couple were also members of the Orpheus choir in Glasgow and Connie continued to play her piano as long as she was able to do so.
Ann said Connie’s love of classical music greatly influenced her daughter Sandra McNeilance, who was a highly regarded professional artist until her death from cancer in 1994.
In her daughter’s memory Connie donated a trust to the art school to fund a gifted student every year.
Ann said: “Connie was the very best of friends to young and old.”
