Obituary: Death of former Fife Free Press editor Douglas Carr

He passed away at Craigieknowes Care Home in Perth on August 12.

Mr Carr edited the paper for a short spell in the late 1980s, taking over after the retiral of the long-serving Malcolm Burness, and transforming the look and pace of the flagship title.

He brought exciting new design flair to the pages of the Press during his tenure at Kirk Wynd, underlining his reputation as one of the best in the business.

Born in Aberdeenshire, Douglas always knew he wanted to work in newspapers. His first foray into the industry in the 1960s found him securing a job as a trainee reporter with F. Johnston & Company, publishers of The Falkirk Herald. Douglas went on to edit the paper for which he held a lifelong affection. However, he was held in such high esteem by the company that he would often be sent to lead projects in other areas.

He then gave up journalism to study for a degree in history and politics at the University of Edinburgh, but newspapers were always his first love and he returned to once again edit The Falkirk Herald.

Together with lifelong friends, Jim Hendry from Broughty Ferry and photographer Richard Parker from Stenhousemuir he was also a partner in Scoop Inns, the trio’s foray into the licensed trade with the first public house they ran, the Roman Bar in Camelon.

If colleagues were surprised by his decision to go to university, the announcement from Douglas that he planned to retire aged only 49 left them shocked – but he had decided the time was right to spend more time doing some of the things he loved best: travelling, gardening and cooking, as well as spending time with his family and many friends.

The death of his partner Neil in 2018 left a huge gap in his life and the following year he decided to move to Auchterarder in Perthshire. Illness earlier this year saw him spend a time in hospital before eventually moving into the care home where he passed away peacefully earlier this month.

He is survived by his nephew Derek, who said rather than an uncle, Douglas was always more like a big brother to him.