The funeral of Cowdenbeath centenarian John Brown takes place on Monday, August 9.
One of six siblings, Mr Brown was born in 1909 in Methil where he grew up and went to school.
In 1926 he became a miner and worked at Wellesley Pit before setting sail for Australia under an emigration scheme.
He lived in Australia for more than three years, but became homesick and decided to return to Scotland when he turned 21.
It was on board the UK-bound ship that he met his future wife Mary (now deceased), who was also making her way home from Australia to Wallsend in Northumberland.
They were married in Methil in 1934, after which Mr Brown began working at Methil Docks for Matthew Taylor shipmakers until 1956 when an accident forced him to stop working for some time.
After taking redundancy in 1960, Mr Brown took up a delivery post with domestic electrical appliance firm Ian Hutchison (Leven) Ltd on Commercial Road for 10 years and then became a night watchman at Methil Creosote Works before retiring at the age of 80.
His only daughter Mary Maxwell, who is married to Cowdenbeath councillor, Alexander Maxwell, said, “Dad moved from Methil to Cowdenbeath in 1998 and had his own house in Arthur Place. He was a real character and a very proud, independent man. He was always active and had many hobbies.
“He loved gardening and everyone would always stop to admire his roses. He also loved woodwork and was always making lamps. He even once made a whole dining suite for my mum.
“He was a keen bowler who played for Aberhill Bowling Club and was also a dedicated mason who was well respected in lodges throughout Fife. He was originally a member of Balfour Melville Lodge and when he moved to Cowdenbeath he was made an honorary member here and given the title of Thane of Fife.
She continued, “A special memory I will always treasure is when Alex and I took him on the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry a few years ago to visit the grave of his father my grandfather who was killed in world war one.
“All those years he did not know where he was buried, but Alex did some research and managed to find the exact spot. He was so happy he was able to pay his respects to his father at last.
“He celebrated his 100th birthday last year surrounded by his family and he continued to lead a very active life right up until his sudden death on Tuesday, but we are taking comfort in the fact he is now at peace.”
Mr Brown’s funeral takes place at 3pm on Monday at Kirkcaldy Crematorium. All friends and family are invited.