Thinking of you today. Miss our get togethers - now we would have had lots of chats about grandkids ❤️

Special thoughts of you today on your 69th birthday. We sure miss you and think about you all the time. 
With love, Kim & Valerie

Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever. 
Alison touched our lives in a big way, is forever in our hearts and is greatly missed.

Still talk to you I’m a granny now and I do wish we could have a natter about our weans. Xxx

Thinking of you especially today with love and appreciation on what would be your 68th birthday. xo

Thinking of Alison today & all her family & friends. X x

Remembering Alison today with a full heart and lovely memories.

We only just learned that Alison passed away in 2019 and wanted to let you know how saddened we are to hear this.
Although we were not close as cousins, after Uncle Walter’s death Alison and Alexandra exchanged some old family photos and spoke about meeting up. Sadly that never happened.
After reading the lovely tributes and looking at all the wonderful, happy family photos on this site we hope they bring comfort to all Alison’s family and friends as they have to us. We have made a donation to Breast Cancer Now Scotland in Alison’s memory. With love to you all.
The ‘Duff’ Cousins - Christine, Alexandra and Stuart

Dear Alison thinking of you & missing our meet ups & chat. Thinking of your family & Olive x x

Thinking of Alison this week. Missing our WhatsApp chat & catch up over coffee or lunch. Thank you for happy memories & friendship x x x

Those who touch our lives .... stay in our hearts forever.

Alison, on this birthday, we are lifting you in thought and prayer. We always remember and cherish the good times. We also remember your laugh and radiant light that always gave us warmth and joy. Love, Kim & Valerie xo

Ali, we celebrated your birthday this morning. Remembering so many great days together. Sistas fun x

There’s a photo in the gallery

I miss you so much Alison . I can’t believe a year has gone by already . With love ,Lesley

On a recent visit to Edinburgh I was overwhelmed with sadness as I walked along Princes Street, feeling again the shock of losing Alison. She was the kindest, most thoughtful and funniest of friends. Its so unfair that she's not here to share all the ups and downs of life, with her practical no nonsense approach. I'll always miss you Alison. You leave a space no-one can fill.

On this Mother’s Day, I would just like to say that Alison was so happy as a mother in law to Meredith and just over the moon with Olive.
Happy Mother ‘s Day to you both from Alison, by proxy .

Ali, it was such a privilege to know you and be such great friends with you. We miss you so much. We had so much fun together - great days out with picnics on the beaches or up the hills, and fabby overnighters at loads of different places - big cheapies thanks to itison, Groupon, etc. These happy and amazingly funny times we will never ever forget That was after we got severance from work
Before that, we had an amazing time working in Forth Valley which was a very happy place to be and we worked together as an amazing team but didn’t realise at that point, the huge bond we were developing
So so wish you were still with us but so do everyone else who ever had the luck to meet you
Love you loads - think about you every day
Sista Louise, Janey, and Gail xxx

We remember Alison everyday, but on this day most especially. You are missed and continue to be dearly loved. xo

We woke up thinking about Alison on what would have been her 65th birthday. Always remember that we love you and think of you. May all the angels in Heaven gather together to sing you a very happy birthday. xo

Still missing our chances to catch up, share stories, grow older but still not feel it, feel blessed to be both friend and family x

Happy Birthday, Ali, will always miss you.

I met Alison at college where we studied dietetics and was privileged to be her friend ever since . That we kept in touch and met up regularly is down to Alison and I will miss our chats and laughs more than I can say . She was an inspiration , never complaining despite going through difficult times and remaining cheerful and positive . She loved her family and was so proud of her boys and baby Olive was such a joy to her . Alison will be missed by everyone who knew her but I know everyone will have many great memories as indeed I have and that she will be remember with love

Alison & I met while we were both on treatment in ward 1, WGH. It took a few treatments for us to start talking as Alison mentioned later she usually chose to read her book & observe. I feel very lucky to have met such a good friend to share the challenges, fun & celebration in our lives over last seven years.
Alison & I so enjoyed exploring Edinburgh’s restaurants having early supper & a glass of wine after treatment. These early evenings chatting, putting world to rights, laughing & sharing our lives I so appreciated. Alison’s humour, wit, thoughtfulness & common sense in our chats & WhatsApp messages I will so miss. Her delight of becoming a grandma to Olive I so enjoyed sharing as we were both grannies-in-waiting together. I loved the lovely photos of Olive in grandma’s knitted jumpers. We had planned to change our post treatment catch ups slightly to allow us to shop for granddaughter outfits!
Thank you so much Alison for your friendship, wisdom, wit, laughter & understanding. Forever missed... ❤️❤️ all my love Fiona
Thinking of Pete, Andrew, Stephen, Meredith & Olive

The summer of 2011 brought Alison, Pete & Stephen to the states to partake in the wedding festivities of Andrew & Meredith. It was a happy occasion we all enjoyed. Alison had such a sense of style and was stunning in her purple brocade suit at the wedding. I recall her having so much fun on the dance floor during the reception. 
Meeting Alison for the first time was like being reacquainted with an old friend. She was friendly, easy to talk with, quick to show her sense of humor and fun-loving. It didn't take long to observe that her family was priority and that Andrew & Stephen were her pride and joy. Her magnetic pull gave us a quick bond from the wedding to the next 7 years. We exchanged routine Facebook private messages to stay in touch. She'd tell of her various travels with her girlfriends and as I read each line, I imagined being there laughing and joining in the fun. Her retirement gave her the opportunity to volunteer in the community, which I could tell was meaningful. It also afforded her the time to provide care to family members who needed it. Such a loyal and dedicated lady to those she loved. Stories of Pete delivering flowers were some of my favorites as we laughed together via those private messages. I am forever grateful for the time Alison and I spent together and she will remain in my heart. I promise to keep her memory alive and to tell wee Olive Eilidh all about her Grandma.
Deep in our hearts a memory is kept,
Of one we loved and shall never forget.
With love, gratitude and deep sympathy,
Valerie

We met as new students at Queen Margaret and became friends for life. My name, the combination of Temple offspring given names, was a novelty to Effie & Walter who always gave me a warm welcome at Caiystane Gardens. At College, it was usual for Alison, a very proud Auntie, to have a funky, creative piece of knitting on the go for the next generation of Temples as they arrived. I remember only one episode of tension between us when we both bought the same chenille jacket from a trendy Frederick St boutique. Sharing a name was one thing but to have encroached on her personal sense of style was a step too far! 
In the heady days of 70's student life in Embra, we were disco buddies. Our danceable solution to teenage revolution continued in Leeds where Alison survived a placement at the General. On one of our nights out, Alison met her Brian Ferry, tall, dark and handsome. This was someone I'd last seen in short trousers at Primary school in Largs, what were the chances?! The photographic evidence of Peter in short trousers was all Alison needed to make the decision that he would be the father of her children.
Student days over, with proper jobs and partners, we met on holiday jaunts to Jersey, France & Dorset while I was living in Hampshire & Avon. When we met, time melted away. Alison knitted for my offspring before her boys arrived, as cute as their father's school photo had predicted. She had the perfect jiggle to comfort a wee one having had more practice than most with her nieces & nephew. She'd kept her hand in with Theo & luckily, on her last visit to us, we had one for her to jiggle and to her delight, a couple of pieces of her handiwork from back in the day. Her thoughtfulness and generosity abounded and her handmade gifts were precious confirmation of her friendship.
Alison always stepped up for her family, dealing with eldercare whilst coping with the reality of her life changing diagnosis. She didn't shy from making difficult calls or confidently asserting her case. Her courage was amazing and understated, she kept calm and carried on helping, sharing, caring, loving, dancing, travelling, laughing and being a brilliant friend. When nothing was sure for her, everything was possible. Proud of her growing family and her city, she shared so much and has left us all with very special fond memories

I am honored to have met Alison and Pete during their visit to the States for Andrew’s marriage. Alison’s strength, intellect, warm nature and zest for the things she enjoyed shone through as readily as her smile and wit. I particularly liked our conversation about differences in our countries’ food and cooking.
Tom joins me in extending condolences to all of Alison’s family, with special thoughts and prayers to Pete, Andrew and Stephen. “When you lose someone you love, you gain an angel you know.” With love and sympathy, Pam Stoughton

Alison and I met as research dietitians with the Cardiovascular Research Unit at Edinburgh University, in 1993. We worked together for 3 years and remained close friends for the subsequent 23 years. Once you met Alison she quickly became a necessary part of life, such was her warmth, generosity and kindness of spirit. Alison has been there for me through many difficult times over the years, imparting her no nonsense brand of wisdom with humour and very often, a stiff gin. I loved her sense of style, always chic. No flowery tops for Alison. She so loved her family and, yes, was rightly proud of her 3 boys and first grandchild. The world seems a little bit empty without her.

It's often the case in life that it's not until we miss someone that we realise just how amazing they were. That was not the case with Alison. You knew every step of the way just how fortunate/privileged you were to be in the company of such an amazing lady. Yet words escape me.
But when I think of my dear, dear friend and neighbour, for so many years, words foremost are: elegant, stoic, inspiring, understanding, principled and intelligent with a wonderful, sharp sense of humour that never failed..........
We never did get our gin bench organised amidst the daffodils over the road, but we did manage a few tipples kerbside watching the boys wave from six meters atop the Leylandii!

I am a second cousin to Alison and we played together as children and followed each other's working pattern, loves and lives mainly through our first cousin parents, Christmas cards and so on. But we had a lovely meet up again as grannies, and the years just evaporated away. Forever missed indeed.

Alison worked as an invigilator for the British Council on the International English Language Training system (IELTS) exams. She was a great colleague and over the months and years also became a friend. We shared many giggles and laughs at the antics of the students and it was a way of keeping in touch with young people which in turn kept us young! She was so proud of her boys and shared many photos of them with us. I know she was very much looking forward to seeing wee Olive. We had planned to meet up in Glasgow at a European restaurant to pay tribute to Brexit however it never happened ( and at time of writing Brexit hasn't happened either!) We will miss her and on behalf of al your colleagues at the British Council Alison, thank you, you certainly did a good job!

We met Alison through the NW Edinburgh Foodbank. When I arrived Alison and Jane were ‘old hands’. Alison was always cheerful, down-to-earth and practical; plain-speaking but never rude or unkind. My sort of person – happy to follow the processes/ rules but not tied to them if they were impractical or just daft. Tuesday mornings were always fun making up food boxes, dating the donated food and teasing Jane when she pitched up late again (she was never ‘that’ late, but it was fun pulling her leg). The 3 of us would have some lively discussions about anything and everything.
When I went back to work at the end of 2014 I had to stop volunteering, but Alison, Jane & I formed the Foodbank Kadies Dinner Club, meeting up every couple of months.  Alison would always tell us how the family was getting on – Pete and the ‘boys’. She was so proud of you all and absolutely delighted with the news of baby Olive. She was a lovely person.
Our last dinner was in January when she was in great spirits and seemed so well despite everything. We were supposed to meet up on 19th March, but it wasn’t to be. We will miss her terribly.
Kirsty (& Jane)