A WEE COUNTY man who recently passed away will be a huge loss to the community according to an old friend.

Robert Hunter – commonly known as Rab – was 68 years old when he unexpectedly died on January 2.

His friend Stevie Preston fondly remembers him as a great family man who just could not do enough for anybody.

The two met shortly after Rab has left the army and they became good friends.

After seeing each other sporadically for more than 10 years, a chance meeting saw the pair rekindle their friendship and, as always, Rab was eager to help out.

Stevie said: "I met him in the street and my windows hadn't been getting cleaned. He had a window cleaning business so I asked him to do them and then he started doing all the windows in town.

"He was the sort of guy who was always willing to help people and go the extra mile."

As a member of the Black Watch regiment and the British Legion, Stevie believes this is where Rab got his penchant for helping people.

An example of the ex-army man's kind-heartedness is evident in an anecdote Stevie tells about watering flowers.

The BID in Alloa was struggling to water their flowers and Stevie causally mentioned it to Rab.

The next time they spoke, Rab explained how the flowers had been taken care of – not just at that time, but for the rest of the season as well.

"He was just immense," Stevie said. "He was the sort of person who would help anybody in any way he could, and if he couldn't he'd put you in touch with someone who could."

Rab, a member of the British Legion, recently presented Stevie with a gift for his work there.

Despite being such a helpful person, Rab wanted to reward his old friend for the voluntary work he done.

He presented Stevie with a casing from the Edinburgh Castle cannon, engraved with a message.

Stevie said: "He went out his way to give me that award. He was a huge personality, I can't praise him highly enough."

A measure of Rab's willingness to help people was reflected by the huge turnout for his funeral.

He regularly took trips to Thurston Manor and was always trying to help out anyone there as much as he did in his own community.

The Thurston Manor bowling club travelled for the funeral to pay their respects.

Stevie said: "There was no airs and graces about him, he was a gentleman who would always help you out.

"It's going to be a massive loss for the community."