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Stuart Yates – my great friend and mentor

Portrait of Stuart Yates

Stuart Yates
10th September 1949 – 31st July 2012

Stuart passed away early  on the morning of 31st July 2012.  He has been a great friend and mentor since I first met him some 20 years ago (can’t recall the date but it was sometime in 1992/3).  We have since that time been jointly involved in a number of musical projects and this has been a great pleasure for me – following are some things I want to remember about him.

I remember joining the Kemnay Church Music group and playing alongside him (an original member) in what was quite a large group with many different instruments and it played occassionally at Church services and other church events.

The next initiative was to form what is now  known as Ruach Praise with the aim to lead and accompany church worship in a more contemporary musical style.  This band initially played in  Kemnay Parish Church but also played in many other places around the North East of Scotland and tried to seed other similar bands at other churches.  Stuart, a founder member, was always faithful and attended every practice session played with the band on every occassion.  Stuart always stood at the back of the setup but was a key member of the band playing his bass guitar with skill and sensitivity.

Here is the last photo of the band before Stuart passed on.

Last photo of the band with Stuart Yates ( Bass )

The week before he went into hospital for his surgery, he attended the Friday evening band practice and played with the band at the Sunday service, we all hoped that the operation would lead to a positive end to his fight with cancer.  Interestingly he never missed a practice – even when he was undergoing Chemotherapy – but I know that he endured both pain and discomfort during these times.  On this occassion, as we always do, we ended the session with a short time of prayer and we prayed that Stuart would know God’s comfort and healing power in the days ahead.  Of course Gods will is not necessarly what we want in a situation and on this occassion the out come has been that Stuart has been taken from this world into God’s presence.  As a friend said to me – “Gods timing is always perfect” although we might not fully appreciate his reasoning at the time.  The post-surgery complications (of which Stuart was very well aware of when he decided to opt for surgery) were too much for his body to overcome.  As far as we know he was never was able to regain full conciousness.

We will miss Stuart greatly when the band participates in any events in the future.  But we know that he was fully committed to what we do and believe that he would want us to continue without him – however difficult that might be.  Ruach Praise has had a large number of members over the years with many moving on to other stages in their lives – leaving the area, attending University etc……  but Stuart is the first to have left the band in this way.

I want to acknowledge his immense contribution to the work of Ruach Praise – not only the visible contribution through our performances but also in helping organising the band when he was a always a great ecouragement and might I say a “wise old head”.  After practices it was custom for him to join Mary and I at home for a coffee and chocolate biscuit of which he was always very fond.  We would often also watch a music DVD or recording of Trans-Atlantic Sessions  – we will remember these times foldly.   Watching the Two Ronnies or the Vicar of Dibley usually ended in complete hillarity when Stuart would laugh uncontrollably….  Stuart was also known for telling  a few good jokes from time to time – “drummers” often took the brunt on these occassions 😉

On the day he went into hospital he stopped by the house to say “bye” – I said we would be keeping him in our prayers and look forward to seeing him after the operation when he would be feeling better.  It seems that this reunion will take place a little further into the future than I hoped/expected as we have a Christian hope of a great reunion still to come.

Mizpah

2 Corinthians Ch 5 Vs 1

“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

read the above chapter here http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2 Corinthians+5&version=NIVUK

(read other comments about Stuart on his facebook page, click here http://www.facebook.com/stuart.yates.332)

6 thoughts on “Stuart Yates – my great friend and mentor”

  1. A very small snippet of what Stuart meant to me…

    Stuarts involvement in Engage is one that was soo important to me…
    He had soo much influence in the work we did especially in the music side of things.
    During our band practices for each event Stuart was keen to play the songs over and over to make sure we were playing them to the best of our ability as we weren’t only playing to lead worship but we were playing for the Glory God and that was important to him.

    One of my fondest memories of him was from just back in last October when the engage band played at an event at the beach ball room with the sound of many waters a Nigerian church from Aberdeen called the ‘awakening’.
    We turned up for a practice and of course Stuart was first there, raring to go!
    After getting set up and doing sound checks the nerves were certainly setting in with the rest of the band as we look out over the 1000+ seat that we set out for the concert to follow in the evening! But sure as anything while we had butterflies in our stomachs Stu just stood along side us with his calming smile. Just before this event I went to the toilets to get away from the hustle and bussel and to focus my thoughts as I was particularly feeling nervous by now! Stuart was there as I walked in…
    He knew what was going through my mind and he just said “Phil… you have done well… can i pray for you” and so he did.. He laid his hand on me and he prayed for me. He was like a gardian Angel! After he done this i felt soo much more at peace and ready for what lay ahead.

    Right enough we had an amazing night leading all these people in worship as they danced about the room in one voice! but the night didnt finish there… once we had finished our set and the next artist arrived on stage and the Dancing from the Nigerians carried on and Stuart go stuck right in there, dancing with them all! he didn’t look a bit out of place and I remember the rest of the band dancing along discreetly and laughing to one an other as we all watched Stu take the dance floor with the 100s of nigerians… He spotted us watching him and he just smiles greatly! He was Happy looked like a man who was content!

    After this event Stuart said he couldnt wait to do this again and couldn’t wait for the next engage! Unfortunately we never had an other engage.
    But I hope that some day we will get to play together again… I have never known a Bass player like Stuart! He was the best! the best team mate I could have asked for in the band! even though he would ofter wind me up with a “drummer Joke” during the band practices!

    He guided me though a lot over the past years… and as I have growen up Stuart has become more than just Dad’s friend from across the street who plays in the band… He had become my friend too… and even my go to man! If ever I had a question I was struggling with or even a decision I was struggling to make I knew Stuart would have the right answer as he was always level headed and he always wanted what was best!

    I will miss stuart greatly! he was a great friend, Role model and teacher.
    I could go on and on with sooo many happy memories of times spent with stuart!

  2. Stuart will always be in our hearts,he was such a lovely kind gentle guy who ” got it”!

    He always remembered exactly where he had left off the last conversation with you and always interested in what you thought,such a lovely guy who certainly will never be forgotten.

    I can picture him up there hand held out greeting other souls with his ‘big handshake’ ,smile and that deep HELLO!

    He was such a great friend to the Buchans that he will be understandably missed as he was always there, never missing a Praise Band or an Engage practice! However time is a great healer and the void that is left will be be filled with your fantastic memories of the great man.

    1. Thanks Jim for your comments about Stuart. Yes sadly missed indeed. This is a time for reflection and in the same way that you remenber him for always picking up from the point where you last conversation left off, I have a similar memory.
      Every Friday evening, after band practice, we would pack up and move to our cars – chatting amongst each other. When we get there we putting instruments in to car boots or where ever and I would shout to Stuart – “Coffee at ours”? and he almost always had the same response “Yes Please” accompanied by a big smile. He never took that invitation for granted it seemed and each time his response was as if it was the first such invitation.

      Friday nights will not be quite the same now – its not so much the coffee we will miss – but the social interaction that we shared 😉 He could tell a good drummer joke!!!!

      Fond memories!

  3. I was trying to explain to Annabel why mummy was sad after the funeral today and in typical 3 year old fashion, she summed it up beautifully. “so Stuart is playing in God’s band now is he?” I got a lovely picture in my head of Stuart playing away in God’s own praise band.

  4. Stuart was a lovely man and I feel privileged to have known him. I fondly remember him playing in the Praise band in Kemnay Church, standing at the back , strumming away in his quiet, unassuming way. He will be sorely missed , but I am sure Stuart would want to be remembered in that way – praising God in the way he did best. Martin and I were also in the same Bible Group as Stuart ( Geoff ‘s on a Wed. night ) and we had many a discussion about many subjects . Stuart was always calm and measured and we had many laughs and a few tears. For all of you close to Stuart – our sympathies

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