Michael Broad (19 Dec 1946 - 5 Jan 2023)

I thought it might be appropriate if I posted the tribute that I wrote for Michael, which was kindly read out for me by the vicar (Rev Canon Norman Boakes) at his funeral:

To me, he was Uncle Michael. As a boy, I remember him as a sporty uncle and seemed to be good at every sport going, whether it be football, cricket, tennis or golf. He loved having a kick about with a football either in the garden or Southampton Common with my brother and father. His main sporting passion throughout his life was golf, where he was both competent and competitive. In his later years, he enjoyed the social aspect of golf most of all, as well as tutoring his friends. Unfortunately, being good at sport wasn’t a gene I inherited from the family.

Michael was very curious about the world. He enjoyed geography and was fascinated by different people and customs, as well physical aspects such as rivers, glaciers and volcanos. In his earlier years he frequently travelled around the globe to explore. He also liked nature and I particularly remember a trip out with Michael when I was young, where we walked along the River Test spotting water voles, birds and other wildlife.

Michael went to Reading University and graduated with a degree in politics. He was very much a people person, which is perhaps how he ended up as a Human Resources Manager with British Gas. He retired in his early fifties but found plenty of things to keep him busy. As well as golf and socialising with his friends, he enjoyed listening to music and we would frequently discuss the pros and cons of various hi-fi systems. Michael enjoyed talking about a variety of topics, sometimes at great length. He also had quite a sense of humour and a mischievous streak, which seemed to make various childhood hand puppets misbehave, especially Cedrick the dragon and Emu!

Michael also enjoyed investing and playing the stock market. Although he was successful at this, it was the underlying operation of the companies and the people behind them that really interested him. Michael was also happy to spend his time with friends and family passing on his knowledge. In recent years I considered myself as one of his students.

Although Michael led a comfortable life, he was not a show off and rarely spent money on himself. Michael was a generous man and liked to help other people, whether it be to get them out of difficulties or to enable them to take advantage of opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. He also supported a number of local and national charities throughout his life.

After my father died 6 years ago, Michael was almost like a second father to me and I will miss him dearly.

Russell Broad