David Taylor, squash legend and former Forres Mechanics, Inverness Caley Thistle and Lossiemouth player is mourned by hundreds
A “loving” family man and sporting hero was given a fitting send-off when 400 people turned up to his funeral.
David Taylor, a sporting legend in Forres well-known for his squash and footballing careers, passed away on July 2 after a battle with prostate cancer. He was 69.
David is survived by his wife of 41 years Isobel (65), their children Andrew (37) and Aimee (32) and grandchild Harris.
His funeral, held at St Laurence Church on July 18, was attended by around 400 people, including friends and former team mates.
David was nicknamed ‘The Legend’ in squash circles, having captained Scotland at various age levels, and played football for Forres Mechanics, Forres Thistle, Lossiemouth and Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Isobel, David’s wife, paid tribute to him. The two had been a couple for almost half a century and lived together in Rafford for 40 years.
She said: “David was a very good husband. He was great with the kids and pushed them to do all the sports they could do.
“It was a proud moment when he became a granda. He was besotted with Harris.
“He was a loving man. He always put me first - along with the football and the squash.”
Davie - son of David and Isabelle, brother of Stan, Raymond and Joyce - was born on September 12, 1954, and went to Applegrove Primary School and (the old) Forres Academy.
David met the love of his life, wife Isobel, at a birthday party in 1976 and got the pair got married seven years later on July 2, 1983.
Son Andrew was born in 1986, and was joined by Aimee in 1992 and their family was set.
Football was in Davie’s blood from a very young age. His career began at Forres Thistle, before he got his Highland League break with Lossiemouth.
He had two spells with hometown team Mechanics, as well as a stint with Caley Thistle inbetween. Playing for the Can-Cans gave Davie a particular sense of pride, given he grew up in the Bogton area of Forres, beside Mosset Park.
After retiring from football, Davie coached at Forres Thistle - and was always helping out with footballers of the future.
“A lot of his Highland League team mates and Forres Thistle people turned up to the funeral,” Isobel added. “That was nice to see. He was great with the football and the squash.”
Squash was Davie’s main passion. He loved encouraging newcomers to the sport to get pick up a racket and get involved.
Davie led Forres Squash Club, both as a player and president, into the Scottish National Leagues. He captained the team for many years.
His own son Andrew played in Davie’s team - a fact Isobel said made him “really proud”, while Aimee was a good figure skater.
Davie travelled all over Scotland playing squash. He played for Scotland over 50s, 55s and 60s - with one of his proudest moments coming when he captained Scotland’s over 50s in Dublin.
He received the Services to Squash Lifetime Achievement Award from the national governing body in 2020.
In 2022, David was diagnosed with cancer. He went through chemotherapy and fought back - even returning to the squash court to play for Forres B team in October, 2023.
Isobel added: “He was classed as a legend at the squash. Everybody called him Legend and had a lot of respect for him.
“He was chairman for decades, right until the end, and was always trying hard to keep the club going because there are not so many members now.
“He was hoping to play for Scotland at over 70s, but it wasn’t meant to be.”
Speaking at the funeral, daughter Aimee said: “We owe so much to him. We could not have asked for a better dad.
“He really was head over heels in love and he told mum that every day for 41 years.
“Losing dad has been devastating for us all. We will hold our lovely memories close in our hearts and we will love him forever.”
The family wished to thank Minister Stuart Finlayson for his “brilliant” speech at the funeral, and the Mosset Tavern for putting on a very nice tea for guests.
Thanks also went to the NHS, Forres Medical Centre, MacMillan Nurses and Tom Ross and Sons Funeral Directors.
