Obituary: Dennis F Collins, retired sheriff and solicitor

The death has occurred of Dennis F Collins at the age of 87. For many years a solicitor in Dundee until his retiral from practice in 1993, he was born and brought up in Dundee and educated at the High School of Dundee and the University of St Andrews, where he graduated MA and LLB.

He served his apprenticeship with Gray, Robertson & Wilkie, became a partner in Pollock & Smith and after two amalgamations senior partner for 18 years at Carlton Gilruth, which later became part of Blackadders.

He was Dean of the Faculty of Procurators and Solicitors in Dundee from 1988 to 1990 and was the last Dean to be honoured by being appointed an Honorary Sheriff.

He was a lecturer in Scots Law in the University of St Andrews and subsequently in the University of Dundee from 1960 to 1979. He was a Writer to the Signet and for 20 years from 1976 the Agent Consulaire for France.

A member of the Guildry, he was for more than 20years an Assessor to the Lord Dean of Guild, and during that time successively Clerk and Archivist to the Guildry.

For over a century his family belonged to Ward Chapel, now Dundee Congregational Church, and as Church Treasurer since 1966 he was much involved in the Church.

He was Joint Chairman of Lord Armitstead’s Dundee Trust which is responsible for the annual distribution of its income to Dundee charities and schools and is responsible for funding the annual autumn lectures.

For more than 25 years he was Honorary Secretary of the Dundee Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children until it became part of Children 1st.

His other interests ranged from golf and angling in his earlier days to family and local history in more recent times, but always there were golden retrievers and his love of gardening.

Throughout his life he was a keen philatelist, being a member of the Dundee and District Philatelic Society for over 70 years, a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society of London, having been a member for over 30 years, and a member of several specialist societies.

Over the years he had given displays from his collections throughout Scotland and in London.

He is survived by his wife, Elspeth, to whom he had been married for 55 years, their daughter Catriona, son Ross and four grandchildren, Lucy, Alastair, Fergus and Fiona.

A Service of Remembering was held in Dundee Congregational Church on 27 July.

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