My sincere condolences to all of Michael’s friends and family. It is truly tragic and, despite the overwhelming support (in this book and at the funeral on Monday) no amount of words will ever ease the pain. My own father passed away at 59 years of age when, like Michael’s children, I was in my early 20s. I have been in your shoes and all i can say is that – in many years time (after the tears are less frequent and the pain has eased) you will look back on Monday and this book and see the number of people and the sincerety of the messages and realise just what an impact Michael had on his community. That is all any of us can hope to achieve when, inevitably, father time comes for us.

I am a client of Michael’s and (like most people) have known him for well over a decade. All the comments made at the funeral resonated with me and so i won’t repeat them all here.

A short story for the family is that Michael and I found ourselves at a conference in Frankfurt in March 2019. It was coincidentally the same day that I was to receive results for a significant professional exam. Michael went out of his way during that trip to be there when i received the results and we celebrated the successful results together. Something which was quite significant for me (indeed i still remember that over 6 years later) but which i am sure Michael did not hestitate to offer – that was his nature.

You can all be very proud.

All the very best during the next stage of your life together. Grieve. Heal. Be strong. Lean on eachother. Never forget, but look forward positively. That is what he would have wanted.