How Did James Macpherson Die? Burns Club Member Cause of Death Explained

James Macpherson, a former Elgin Rotary Club, and a Burns Club member passed away at 78.

How Did James Macpherson Die?

Tributes have been paid after the death of an Elgin community stalwart. James Macpherson passed away on the evening of Thursday, November 29, 2022, at the age of 78.

Mr. Macpherson was well-known in Moray for his involvement with the Elgin Rotary Club, the Elgin Burns Club, and his love of golf. He was the chairman of the Moray and Nairn Golf League for 17 years.

He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, 53 and his sons Chris and Stuart and his grandchildren, Angus, Iona, Davie and Beth.

James Macpherson Cause of Death

James Macpherson, a member of organizers Elgin Rotary Club, died on November 29. Although James Macpherson cause of death was not known yet. It is believed to be a natural death.

Stuart spoke at his father’s funeral, which took place on Thursday, December 13 at St Columba’s South Church.

“As a family, we have been overwhelmed with the support from cards, flowers, messages, visits and meals and baking,” he said.

“My father was a good uncle and father in law, a loving and devoted husband to my mum Elizabeth, a great father to Chris and myself, and a devoted grandpa. He will be sorely missed by all.”

George Duthie, former Elgin Rotary Club president, added: “Despite becoming progressively frailer, James was still a very regular attendee at our meetings via Zoom, surely a testimony to his drive. He was an ideal role model for any Rotarian as for sure he always put service before self.

“All who knew James will miss him terribly and we all remember Elizabeth and her family in our prayers.”

Who was James Stewart Macpherson?

James Stewart Macpherson was born on January 23, 1944, in Stornoway, where his mother was a dairy advisor and his father was a technical instructor. His family relocated to Perth in 1946, where he spent his formative years playing golf with his sister Janet.

At Perth High School, Mr. Macpherson met Elizabeth when he was 17 years old. The two later got married in 1969. By then, Mr. Macpherson had earned a diploma in business studies and economics from Strathclyde University and had landed his first position as a business studies teacher at North Kelvinside in Glasgow.

Following their wedding, the happy couple relocated up north when Mr. Macpherson was appointed the head of the business studies department at Golspie High School. They established their family there as twins. Stuart and Chris were both born in October 1970.

The family moved to Bahrain in 1979 after Mr. Macpherson was hired as a teacher there. They stayed there for four years while he worked at Bahrain Gulf Polytechnic. The family moved to Elgin in 1985 and settled down there after attending Thurso High School for some time.

Before retirement, Mr. Macpherson was a business studies lecturer at Moray College.

James Macpherson Golf Career

Mr. Macpherson’s life experienced a lot of new things after retiring. The Spirit of Speyside Golf and Whisky Festival was founded by him after he was offered a position with Gordon and MacPhail.

He was elected president of the Elgin Burns Club and spoke after dinner at multiple occasions. Mr. Macpherson was also given more time to play golf, and at the Moray Golf Club, where he was a member starting in 1985, he won numerous prizes. For 17 years, he served as the Moray and Nairn Golf League’s chairman.

Mr. Macpherson joined the Elgin Rotary Club in 2007 and worked tirelessly to raise money for it up until his death.