A GRIEVING mum today recalled the happy times she shared with her son who died in a North-east road smash.
Mum June Ross spoke after Ian Buchanan lost his life in a crash.
The 22-year-old had been a passenger in a Honda Civic which crashed with a blue Volkswagen Golf on the B993 Kemnay to Monymusk road when he died, just days before his birthday.
Ian’s devastated mum June, 45, of Alford, today recalled happier times.
“Ian had a lovely sense of fun and humour, and loved all types of music and loved his parties,” she said.
“My most memorable fun time with him lately was creating a My Little Pony cake for his sister’s 21st as a bit of humour for her.
“Our decoration was not quite in the calibre of an experienced pastry chef, so that made us both laugh.
“We had a similar sense of humour – I missed that as he grew up and I saw less of him after moving from home.”
Ian died two days before what would have been his 23rd birthday and June said she would have dearly loved to have wished her son happy birthday.
She believed Ian had been on his way back to Alford to pick up some things as he was looking forward to going up to RockNess.
June said her son loved music festivals and would go every year with his friends.
Ian worked as a chef at the Holiday Inn hotel, next to the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
And his mum said he was “hard working” and “dedicated to his job”.
She also described Ian as “a very loved son and brother who enjoyed drama, skateboard and snowboarding”.
June said Ian, his sister Carina and brothers Ross and Kyle were extremely close and that his siblings “just thought the world of their brother”.
Ian’s dad Alasdair Buchanan – who he was also very close with – rushed home from Houston, where he now lives, to be with the family.
Police shut the B993 for seven hours after the crash, half a mile west of Kemnay, at 5.10pm on Saturday.
Ian grew up in Alford but was living in Aberdeen.
He is also survived by his girlfriend Katie Roberts.
arennie@ajl.co.uk