Grace Thomson, the wife of former Dundee East MP George Thomson, has died at the age of 88.
Mrs Thomson, who would later become Lady Thomson of Monifieth, began life in the Townhead area of Glasgow in 1925.
Born into poverty, her father, a socialist railwayman and active member of the NUR, had taken part in the failed General Strike of 1926, leaving him blacklisted.
With her father unable to find work, Mrs Thomson was forced to leave school at 15 despite excelling academically becoming a clerk in 1940.
Undeterred, she took night classes to gain her Highers and, by the time of the end of the Second World War, was able to qualify as a primary teacher in the Jordanhill training programme.
In 1948 she married Dundonian George, who had left a career with DC Thomson to edit the weekly journal Forward.
Both were active in the Labour Party and, in 1952, she was by his side as he secured victory in the Dundee East by-election.
Over the next two decades, Mrs Thomson would become a familiar face in Dundee, where her political presence and counsel would prove crucial.
In one instance, she helped fend off an attempt by left-wing Labour members to oust both her husband and neighbouring MP John Strachey as party candidates.
After Mr Thomson resigned his seat, the pair moved to Brussels where he served as European Commissioner.
Mrs Thomson, who was fluent in French, German and Italian, greatly enjoyed her four-year stint in the Belgian capital and would remain an active pro-European until her passing.
In 1977, she became Lady Thomson of Monifieth following her husband’s ennoblement, maintaining close ties with Dundee for the rest of her life.
Following the death of Lord Thomson in 2008, she funded a new computer research laboratory at Abertay University.
She is survived by her two daughters, Caroline and Ailsa, and her three grandchildren.