John Elliot

When I think of John Elliot, what I remember most is his joie de vivre, his complete and total immersion in life. Johnny spent much of his life as a miner, but when the mines closed, Johnny turned his face to the sky and never looked down again. He was never happier than when he was out on his bike, out on his kayak, away fishing or enjoying his caravan. Johnny was a well read man and loved to learn the why and wherefore of the parts of life that pleased or puzzled him.

I like to envision Johnny as Scotland’s oldest teenager. He was chuffed to explore our dear home country and experience places that few take time to discover. Often when I would telephone him for our weekly chats, his phone would ring out so I knew he was off on another adventure. He inspired me to stretch my imagination and extend my mental and physical limits because he did so himself.

Many of us have the family we are born into and the family we choose for ourselves. Johnny and I chose to be brothers of a kindred mind. My association with Johnny was an expansion of possibilities for both of us. We became stronger through friendship and trust, both striving to become the best people we could be. Although my life is the poorer for his leaving it is still the richer from his sharing of a life well lived.

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