A GREENOCK bowling club is helping a bereaved husband pay a touching tribute to his wife who sadly passed away after a battle against cancer.
Ardgowan BC will be hoisting a new club flag this weekend which has been donated in memory of former club member Carole Anne Ross, who died on December 27 last year just eight weeks after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
The new banner was donated by Carole Anne’s husband Ian Ross and will be raised at the club’s opening day on Saturday by Ian and his granddaughters Millie and Rhia.
Ian and Carole Anne have both been involved with the Greenock group for decades, helping to organise a variety of events and run the club bar.
Ian told the Telegraph that he felt the flag was a fitting way to pay tribute to his late wife, who dedicated countless hours to the club.
He said: “We had a past presidents dinner recently and they were talking about how the old club flag had been ripped by the wind and the rain.
“I said that I would like to donate a new flag to the club and asked if there could be a wee memento put on it about my wife, because everyone knew how much she loved the club and loved coming here.
“She loved doing teas and the bar and things like that.
“She liked to mix with people and have a social life, but she was one of those people too who wouldn’t suffer fools gladly.
“When she worked behind the bar in the club, she got some characters coming in and she always knew how to handle them.
“If someone was trying to be funny with her, she would always get her own back.
“It means a lot to me for the club to agree to this, and what makes it better is my two wee granddaughters will be involved in raising it.”
Ian said that Carole Anne had kept her good humour even in her final days.
He added: “It was so quick. Eight weeks after she got diagnosed, she passed away.
“On the ninth of November I went up to visit her and the consultant was there with a nurse.
“At the time I didn’t realise it was a Macmillan nurse and the consultant told me he had bad news and that he was afraid there was nothing they could do for her.
“She was determined even when she was in the hospice to get up every morning and get dressed, she didn’t want to lie in her bed.
“She never let it get to her.”
Gilbert McCracken, honorary secretary of Ardgowan Bowling Club, said the club were honoured to pay tribute to Carole Anne.
He added: “We were all so saddened by the news of Carole Anne’s passing.
“She was a popular and dedicated member of the club for many years and will be sorely missed by everyone here.
“We are so pleased and grateful that Ian has donated a new club flag in memory of Carole Anne and hope that our members will join us on opening day to see it raised for the first time.
“Our condolences and thoughts are with Ian and the rest of Carole Anne’s family during this difficult time.”
Carole Anne was born in Dempster Street in Greenock on April 9, 1953 to parents Nancy and Andrew Sinclair.
Growing up she attended Greenock Academy, and then went to Reid Kerr College in Paisley at the age of 16 to study accounts.
She worked in a variety of places throughout her life, including Scott Lithgow, the Royal Hotel in Kingussie, the Hector McNeil baths in Greenock and as a bookkeeper for Holmes Greenock before retiring in 2016.
In January 1977 she met her future husband Ian in the old Rotunda Bar and the pair were married at the Union Church in 1979.
They had their first and only child, Craig, in November 1984.
Carole Anne was delighted when Craig met and married his wife Ailie, with whom he had two daughters, Millie and Rhia.
Carole Anne would take great pleasure in spoiling her grandchildren and would regularly visit to look after them.
As well as being a dedicated member of Ardgowan, Carole Anne also loved to travel and she and the family enjoyed many memorable trips to places like the USA, Spain and Kenya.
Carole Anne’s family gathered at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel last weekend to mark what would have been her 70th birthday with an afternoon tea, in keeping with some of her final wishes.
Carole Anne is survived by her husband Ian, her siblings Agnes and Peter, her son, daughter-in-law and her two grandchildren.
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