Scotsman Obituaries: Rev Ian Petrie, compassionate and caring Scottish minister

Ian was born in Arbroath in 1944, the first child of Alec and Phyllis. His sister Aileen followed two years later, before Elspeth completed the family in 1951. Ian was devoted to his baby sister and loved to entertain her and make her laugh. However, he was powerless when Elspeth was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, at the time a condition that was incurable. She died in October 1953, just two months after her second birthday.

Elspeth’s death had a profound impact on Ian throughout his life, but at this early stage it somehow strengthened his faith and helped steer him towards the ministry.

He attended Arbroath Primary, but for secondary his parents decided to send him by train every day to Dundee High School. It was an experience he did not enjoy. He railed against what he perceived to be a world of privilege. He shunned the over-competitiveness it encouraged, and his instinctive support for the underdog was hardened through his teenage years.

At Edinburgh University Ian graduated in Classics before studying Divinity at New College. With the support of a bursary he was able to travel through Italy and Greece as well as the Middle East.

From inadvertently drinking water straight from the Nile to being picked up by Israeli soldiers, it was an adventure that would provide a rich seam of stories to tell in later years.

In August 1969 he married Marion, whom he had first met during Freshers’ Week at university. They moved to Aberdeen, where he was associate minister at West Church St Nicholas. After their first child Graeme was born it soon became clear that all was not well. Graeme was eventually diagnosed with autism and severe learning difficulties.

The family moved to East Kilbride, where Ian took on his first solo charge at Westwood Parish Church at the age of 28. He felt a perfect fit for the new town, which had a young congregation. Shortly after, their daughter Fiona was born, followed by Gordon. After years of travelling back and forth to Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, Graeme was moved into 24-hour residential care in 1976, giving the family some respite. Their fourth child, Ewan, arrived two years later.

January 1986 saw Ian take a big step from a modern church in East Kilbride to one of the oldest in Dundee, St Andrew’s Church in the city centre, the Trades Kirk, steeped in more than two centuries of history and tradition.

He quickly made his mark with a drive to modernise some of the outdated practices. He introduced female elders and abolished pew rents. At the time these were seen as bold moves, and he had to overcome strong opposition from some of the members. By persisting he showed his strength of character and determination to make the church more welcoming, less stuffy, and more about fellowship than strict dogma.

In 2005 Ian separated from Marion. Both had been aware of the toll having an autistic child can have on marriages, and believed this to be a major factor in their split. They remained friends until Marion died in 2015.

Ian retired from the ministry in 2008, and moved to Anstruther, where the family owned a flat and had spent many summers. He continued to preach and visit those in need, serving as a locum at churches in Fife, until finally taking a step back in 2014 due to ill health.

He moved to Edinburgh to be closer to Fiona and family, and found a new lease of life after moving into a sheltered flat. He read avidly, his interests spanning political biography, poetry and crime. He also continued to make his voice heard as a frequent contributor to The Scotsman letters page, commenting on a wide range of foreign and domestic affairs.

Ian will be widely remembered as a compassionate and caring minister who touched many lives with his kindness, and brought comfort in dark times. Throughout his life he believed faith to be private, expressed in actions rather than displays of piety, and rejecting any showiness or fuss.

He will also be remembered as a devoted father and grandfather, whose catchphrases and sense of fun live on. He was a lifelong Arbroath fan, keeping a picture of Gayfield, the "home of football” as he described it, proudly on his mantelpiece.

Ian died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on 6 May after suffering a stroke. He is survived by his four children and four grandsons.