Tributes were paid to a “thoroughly decent human being” as Bridge of Earn councillor Alan Jack was laid to rest in a funeral attended by many of his council colleagues.
Mr Jack served the Almond and Earn ward for more than a decade, after initially standing as a Conservative and then as an independent member from 2013.
The 76-year-old died on January 30 following a period of ill-health.
In a service held at Dunbarney and Forgandenny Parish Church on Tuesday, the Rev Allan Wilson said Mr Jack’s sudden death had come as a shock to many. The minister also praised the councillor for his efforts to “make a difference” to others.
“It was a bit of a shock,” said Mr Wilson. “We didn’t realise his health had deteriorated that much. But that was Alan he could be a very private man when it came to his own personal affairs.
“He was a man who remained on the go for most of his 76 years and has been an enormous help to a number of people and organisations in this village and the surrounding area.
“Long before he became a councillor for Bridge of Earn, Alan Jack was interested and dedicated to the local community here.
“This interest in the community was recognised and rewarded when he stood for election as the councillor for Bridge of Earn and was duly elected in 1999.
“While his organisational skills were good, he didn’t always express himself well and meetings took a course of their own when he would often go off on a tangent but that was Alan and those of us who worked with him knew what he was like and accommodated him.
“Despite being part of local government and part of the institution, Alan had a strong dislike for bureaucracy and red tape. He preferred to look for things as simply as possible and looked for a pragmatic approach.”
Mr Jack’s coffin, which was topped with white lilies, gerberas, roses and carnations, was carried from the church to the strains of Auld Lang Syne.
Married twice and with four sons, Mr Jack was well known for his involvement in community projects in Bridge of Earn, including a plan to save the Village Institute in the 1990s.
He served on a number of council committees including the former development control. He also represented the local authority on the Tayside and Central Scotland Transport Partnership (Tactran) and the Perth and Kinross Leisure Executive Committee.