Ayr baker dies from coronavirus - months after he lost his wife in the same care home

Tributes have been paid to Douglas McLean who passed away from pneumonia as a result of Covid-19 at Glenfairn House last week.

The great grandad to nine and grandchild to seven, was 89.

His death comes after his wife of 66 years Anna, 87 died at the same home with pneumonia during a flu outbreak in August 2019.

He had three children, two daughters, Pauline, Fiona and a son.

Pauline was left distraught after she was unable to tell her dad ‘they loved him’ before he died.

She told the Advertiser: “The night my father passed away I phoned up the care home, I just wanted to give a message to the person on the phone.

"I just wanted to say that the three of us love him dearly.

“They kept me on the phone for 10 minutes, and said a nurse will call you again, I’m still waiting on that phone call. I called at 5.30pm and he died at 6.10pm.”

“When he took ill, they said we think its coronavirus he’s got but we don’t know he hasn’t been tested and has symptoms.

“All I wanted was a message to give to my father, that was all we knew, and we couldn’t be with him when he was at the end.

“We lost our mother in August at the same home, you would think because of that, there would be a wee bit of care and compassion.”

Douglas, also known as Dougie, was a well-known figure in Ayr, as he owned the family bakers McLean’s on New Road up until he retired at 65.

The shop owner also owned a bed and breakfast at Ayr beach, and was well loved by many.

Devastated daughter Pauline Hanselmann, 65, has led tributes to their dad after his shock death from the virus.

Douglas will be best known for his pies which were once the talk of the town.

And Pauline has told how she found a lovely tribute to her dad’s shop, McLean’s on the night he died as punters were discussing their fond memories on Facebook page Remembering Auld Ayr.

She said: “ It was strange, but there was a tribute to him when he passed away, a thing called Auld Ayr popped up on my phone talking about how great my father’s pies were, no one even knew about the news they were just reminiscing. It was a lovely tribute to him.

“He was a well know face in Ayr. He started working when he was 15-years-old in the bakery, then when my grandfather retired, he took the shop over. Everybody loved him.

“There used to be queues along New Road for his pies, his potato scones were popular too.”

The family lost their mum, Anna last year after she suffered pneumonia during a deadly flu outbreak at Glenfairn House.

She said: “Mum had a fall March last year, she had a fall and never recovered from that fall, she couldn’t do for herself.

"She wanted to go in beside dad. She will be nipping his head upstairs now.”

The Ayr Advertiser have contacted Glenfairn House for comment. 

If you would like to pay tribute to somone you have lost, then you can here.

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