Michael Tudor (2 Aug 1943 - 27 Nov 2020)

In loving memory of Michael Tudor who sadly passed away on 27th November 2020.

Michael John Tudor was born on Monday 2nd August 1943 in Manchester. His parents were Nora and John Tudor. His dad owned a grocer’s shop and his mum worked as a typist for Massey Ferguson. Michael was their only child.

Michael was educated at Xaverian College in Manchester. He supported Manchester City all his life and started going to matches at an early age with two of his uncles. Much to his disgust Sandra supported the reds and neither changed their allegiance over the 60 years they were together.

His working career was spent in the insurance industry and for a lot of that time he worked for American companies. He finished his insurance career as a company director.

Michael and Sandra met at a party in Manchester in 1960, he was with a friend and they tossed a coin to see who would ask her out, Michael won. They got engaged in 1965 and married on the 5th October 1966, the honeymoon was spent looking for a flat in Devon as Michael had secured a job there.

They stayed in Devon for a couple of years before moving back to Manchester, their daughter Claire was born in 1970. Walking into the delivery suite, he saw Sandra and thought she was foaming at the mouth, he promptly passed out. Earlier when Sandra was offered a cup of tea, she declined and asked to clean her teeth, hence the foam.

The family enjoyed many holidays and Michael would have loved to have moved somewhere hot. But when the grandchildren appeared, that thought was shelved.

As well as Manchester City, Michael’s other big passion was wine. There wasn’t much he didn’t know about the subject. As a couple, they belonged to two wine tasting groups. He was down to give a talk at the U3A group, but he wasn’t able to because of COVID. A recent holiday, was enjoyed in California, travelling in a RV, visiting the vineyards.

In his younger years, Michael played squash and football, he took up golf and was a member at Mapperley Golf Club for many years. When they moved to Upper Saxondale he became a member at Radcliffe-on-Trent golf club. He was only a member of the seniors for a short time but really enjoyed playing with them & if things had been different he would have been a long & active member. Michael had been a member of the Round Table and the Rotary club and involved himself in the charity work of these two organisations.

The other love in Michael’s life was the family Standard Poodle, Ben. Michael loved Ben and was devastated when he died, he never wanted another dog after his death.

Michael was a family man and always put his family first. He was delighted when in 2003, Libby was born and in 2005, Finn arrived. Michael was a doting Grandpa, he loved to be involved in the lives of his grandchildren, as long as they weren’t too noisy.

He had a very dry sense of humour and people didn’t always know how to take him when they first met. In 2018, they moved to Upper Saxondale to be closer to Claire, Libby and Finn. It took Michael quite a few months to settle in, however once he discovered that neighbours walked past number 50 and would stop and chat, he was in his element and there was no looking back. Plus he could wear his beloved shorts. He loved living in the village and was hoping to become more involved with life there.

Michael was diagnosed with prostate cancer and vowed to fight it, despite the poor prognosis. He maintained a positive attitude right until the end. The day before he died, he was talking about what he was going to be doing in the spring.

In the messages of sympathy, the thing that is mentioned most is that Michael was a true gentleman and a lovely man.
Michael’s, like many others, was an unremarkable life but one he loved & enjoyed immensely. He had everything he wanted plus the love of Sandra, Claire, Libby and Finn