Andrew M. Fraser, best known to all as Andy, passed away peacefully in Inverness on 5th May 2026 at the age of 80. He was born in Wick, the second of five children, to Rev and Mrs James W. Fraser. The family moved to Plockton in 1948 and then to Edinburgh in 1960 where Andrew studied Law. After some years of rebellion against his upbringing in a Christian home Andy came to repentance and trust in the Saviour of sinners. Shortly after he studied for the ministry of the Free Church of Scotland. After completing his studies at the Free Church College he moved to Aberdeen where he served as “Student Missioner” at Dee Street Free Church.
In September 1974 Andy married Margaret Mackay and in December they left for Peru. Their initial language study in Lima was not without incident. One night the peace was shattered by a prolonged spell of nearby gunfire as the army used force to settle a strike by the police. In the morning Andy and Margaret attended classes but, on their return home, encountered Tanks and burning cars in the streets. In 1975 Andy took up the work of managing a Christian book shop in the Andean city of Cajamarca, work that involved visiting market towns with Christian literature, combining this with preaching and pastoral care over a wide area dominated by high mountains and serviced by very rough roads, often clinging to the steep side of a valley over a thousand feet deep. His Land Rover training came in handy. He also served for a spell in Moyobamba in the high jungle, on the edge of the Amazon basin where his mode of transport was by motorbike.
During his final illness he received a letter from Dr Alonzo Ramirez, planter of six churches in Northern Peru and founder of the Reformed Biblical Seminary and translator of 22 books. Andy had discipled him in his early years. Alonzo writes, “Perhaps without realising it you were shaping in me a pattern of ministry that remains to this day to preach faithfully to the text with clear structure and pastoral application.”
In 1982 Andy and Margaret, with their two children, returned to Scotland, where in 1984 Andrew became minister in Bettyhill, From there in 2004 he moved to Lochinver. Both charges covered a wide area. He retired to Dingwall in 2010, a retirement that saw him return to Lochinver frequently to preach and conduct funerals.
During his time in Lochinver and during his retirement Andy made frequent visits to Hungary and Ukraine to participate in English Bible Camps under the auspices of “Eastern Europe for Christ.”
Whether in South America or in Scotland Andrew faced the demands of working in remote areas, serving the disadvantaged at whatever cost to himself. He used his energy and God given gifts in reaching out to people to communities that were indifferent to the gospel. The Free Church aspiration to see a “Healthy Gospel Church for Every Community in Scotland” in some way reflects the vision Andy brought to his ministries in Scotland.
His ministry was characterised by his faithful investment in people, never giving up on anyone. This was exemplified in his final preaching engagement in Lochinver when he suffered a fall resulting in a painful fracture. His main concern was to preach the word to the few who had gathered. This involved preaching while awaiting the arrival of the ambulance. His final months struggling with severe discomfort, diabetes and kidney failure were born with fortitude. He is now with the Lord whom he loved and served. He will be sorely missed.
We commend Margaret, his widow, Elspeth and Jamie, his children, and Helen and Alex his grandchildren to God’s grace and keeping.