A devoted Dumbarton widower has said that writing poetry about his much-loved wife of more than 50 years has helped him cope with grief.
Stuart McWilliam, 86, has recently launched Love for Life - a collection of heartwarming and, at times, tear jerking, poems dedicated to his wife of 57 years Marion, who passed away in 2015.
The devoted husband was besotted with Marion and carries her photo around wherever he goes.
Marion passed away after bravely battling vascular dementia for a decade, with the condition also explored in Stuart’s deeply personal work - much of which has been published in the Lennox over the years.
Stuart said: “They had all been printed over a period of time in the Lennox.
“My brother-in-law put them all on a USB stick so a friend who also writes poems took me into the library, put them on the computer and bang.
“They were up and running and published the next day.
“I’m really chuffed.
“Love for Life is mostly about memories of Marion.
“As are most of my poems. I’m inspired by her in a lot of ways.
“I think it’s my coping mechanism for the grief I experience. I find it a very good kind of therapy.
“At the same time, it keeps her alive
to me.
“Although I’ve lost her physicality, I’ve still got these tremendous memories that I like to share with other people.
“A lot of people knew Marion, she worked in nurseries and loved working with children.
“She was very well known in the town and a lot of people would follow the poems in the Lennox.”
Stuart hit the headlines back in 2017 by handing out red roses to strangers in Dumbarton High Street - something he continues to do until this day.
The grandfather was inspired to keep Marion’s memory alive by handing out the flowers and sharing the love story of him and “the wee one”.
He explained: “We were at the same primary school. I knew her as wee Marion Speedie.
“When I came home from the army, on the High Street I saw this vision. I was standing there saying: ‘crikey’. A year later we would be married and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The couple were married on Boxing Day in Dalreoch Church.
They always stayed in Dumbarton including in Bellsmyre and latterly lived together in Castlegreen Street.
After having daughter Linda and son David, Marion became a nursery nurse at St Peter’s and Andrew Cameron nurseries among others - where she is fondly remembered by former pupils.
And Stuart hopes sharing his memories with other people who have lost loved ones can help provide some comfort.
He added: “I was speaking to a lady the other day who had lost her husband, and she said that reading my work was marvellous.
“When I do Red Rose Day giving out cards and roses, the feedback I get is phenomenal.
“You meet so many people, and they often say ‘I just needed that’. It’s all about interaction and it’s a big part of my life now.”
You can buy Stuart’s book on Amazon or by contacting him via ‘Red Rose Day’ on Facebook.
