His wife appears as a widow in the Montrose year book of 1899 so he must have died in that year, maybe the previous year, given his earlier appearances in the Montrose year books.
If so, then just where is his death register entry? I couldn't find it, - anywhere.
After re-visiting the situation over several years, I decided to challenge my assumption that he had died in 1898/99 and that the Montrose year book entry referring to the widow WEBSTER was my family.
A good thing that I did, as I then found his death in Dundee in 1913, living at the address of a nephew.
All this was before the 1901 census became available, so that the 1901 release was awaited with great interest in this case.
When the 1901 census did become available, great-grandfather John turns up a few streets away in Montrose from his supposed widow, the lodger in the house of a widow around his age .....
No information on this situation has come down the family ........ so any deductions are pure speculation
- the fact that his cause of death of cirrhosis of the liver was connected in any way to the situation is also pure speculation 
The lesson? Very simply, when a record doesn't turn up where it "should" and spelling variations can be ruled out, then challenge your assumptions
David