Obituary: Ian Trapp, former Falkirk Herald ad manager and 'a Falkirk Bairn from cradle to grave'

A fanatic fan of table tennis, and an accomplished and popular player in his own right, Ian formed part of the highly successful coaching team of Falkirk Table Tennis Club in what could be described as its ‘heyday’, with club members regularly selected for Scotland and GB team caps.

Born in 1937, Ian, whose father saw active service in World War One, had his early years were marred by the sad and premature death of his mother when he was only 11 years old; out of this sadness though came a lifelong bond with his elder and much loved sister, Jessie, and brother, George. His brother was also a former employee of the Falkirk Herald as chief photographer, and they shared many friends and interests in common, not least their love of fishing – where Ian’s success was, by his own admission, overshadowed by that of his big brother.

Focused on achieving as much as possible in his life, and with an unerring work ethic, Ian began as a telegram boy for the Post Office in his teenage years and was often to be seen plying his trade on his works-issued motorcycle both on the roads and, much to his sister’s annoyance, up the common close and stairwells of their home in Bainsford. A playful part of his personality which never left him even in his physical frailty towards the end of his life.

‘Doing his bit’, at a time in the 1900s when the world was an uncertain place, he served his National Service in the Royal Signals Regiment and earned his paratrooper’s Red Beret and wings, despite a significant fear of heights. To the end, this was an achievement of which he was rightly proud.

When he left the Army his career path collided with the glitzy world of ‘showbusiness’ when he joined the cinema industry as a manager in various parts of Scotland, including Perth, Ayr and Falkirk. In a time that preceded social media, the greatest names and faces of Hollywood and the British film industry would appear at local cinemas for red carpet events to promote their latest movies. Ian worked tirelessly to win recognition for his cinema and excelled in winning many awards for his promotion of such movies as The Sound of Music, starring of course his namesake family, The Von Trapps, who he claimed were “almost certainly” related…sadly, modern DNA genealogy proved that the Ochil Hills were not alive to the Sound of Music.

His family and especially his sons were delighted when, as one of those rewards for shining in his role, they drove around for a week in a fully liveried Herbie (Volkswagen Beetle) car – star of Disney’s The Love Bug movie.

He was host to many Hollywood and UK stars for red carpet movie launches in Glasgow, including Burt Lancaster, Sean Connery, Cliff Richard and The Shadows, and Morecombe and Wise.

Wanting to spend more time with his family he opted to move from his cinema manager role to that of advertising executive with The Falkirk Herald and spent many years driving revenue through his strong relationships with local business. Still exhibiting the same determination to ‘do his best’ and a drive to deliver value for the customer and the proprietors of the paper, he would often work late nights at the family dining table where his wife Christine and sons recall large sheets of paper and industry design tools spread out as deadline approached.

Having retired from work in the newspaper business he enjoyed more time with his family and especially with his grandchildren, all of whom made him incredibly proud through their various achievements. A man of endless patience and imagination to create stories, still remembered decades later by them as he enjoyed their company. His grandchildren were dedicated to their grandpa and all are devastated by his passing.

In his later years Ian was not blessed with good physical health which significantly limited his ability to get about and meet people – one of his lifelong passions. His love of engaging with his family and friends with a friendly positive outlook was not diminished though, nor sadly, some would say, was his supply and delivery of puns and jokes.

Latterly, he found great comfort in his passion for photography and membership of Falkirk Camera Club as an eager competitor in club competitions. Aged 80, having never touched a computer, he joined the online world and learned how to create and manipulate digital photographs.

In his final years, having also been identified with early onset of Alzheimer’s, Ian became a regular member of the local Alzheimer’s Group which he attended weekly at Central Perk café in Grahamston; this group gave him an enormous amount of joy and friendship and he was incredibly grateful for this oasis of social interaction. Even up until a few short months before his hospitalisation he could still be seen in his element on his scooter travelling to a few favourite Falkirk haunts to enjoy a bit of lunch or simply pass the time in the way he preferred – blethering about his memories of Falkirk (and he had many of them) to the many people he knew and even those he didn’t, until the moment they met!

A newspaper man through and through, a Falkirk Bairn from cradle to grave, and sadly missed by family and friends.

Ian’s funeral takes place at Falkirk Crematorium on April 23 at 11.30am.