A sheriff who was once the longest serving in Scotland has been described by loved ones as a “true one off” following his sudden death while out cycling.
Noel McPartlin had served more than three decades on the bench when he stepped down from his full-time post at Elgin Sheriff Court in 2011.
However, he refused to give up completely and continued in a part-time capacity at courts in Aberdeen and Fort William until his 75th birthday – when he was forced into compulsory retirement.
The 79-year-old, who lived in Elgin and was a member of the Moray Wheelers cycling group, died after suffering a heart attack while on his bike with friends near Hopeman.
Mr McPartlin’s wife June paid tribute to her husband as a “true one off”.
She said: “He enjoyed the challenge of his work, he had a legal brain. He didn’t want to give it up when he did, they joked about maybe doctoring his birth certificate so he could continue.
“He was loved everywhere he went. The staff at Aberdeen were sad to see him go, and he’s got his name on the plaque of a running trail in Fort William.
“Sport was what he enjoyed the most. I think he tried everything at one point – swimming, rugby, golf, you name it.”
Mr McPartlin was appointed a sheriff in 1983 and initially sat on the bench at Peterhead and Banff before moving to Elgin two years later.
The Galashiels-born man spent the next 16 years in Moray, moved to Edinburgh in 2001 but returned to Elgin in 2008 before stepping down from the full-time post.
The Elgin Golf Club member came to worldwide attention during his career after allowing a civil case to be pursued by a golfer who was struck by a ball while playing the course at Buckpool – explaining golfers had a responsibility to check before swinging.
Following the judgement, requests would continue to arrive at Elgin Sheriff Court for copies of the decision for more than two decades after the case.
Away from his legal career he was one of the founding members of the committee that established The Oaks palliative care unit for cancer patients in Elgin, was an honorary member of Elgin Burns Club and had been appointed president of the town’s University of the Third Age group shortly before his death.
Mr McPartlin is survived by his wife, six children and eight grandchildren.
