Thanks to Stuart Green of Meir Chess Club for the following obituary :
Mike had been ill for over 5 years, but fortunately had been free of any significant pain even at the end of his life. The things that really saddened him about his condition were that it gradually robbed him of two of the pastimes which he had enjoyed enormously.
I accompanied him often on walks in the Peak District and in North Wales. The hill walking was an activity which he had discovered about 30 years ago and there was rarely a week when he failed to get out on a proper walk. Often it was limited to several miles in the hills of Derbyshire or Staffordshire, but he delighted in these as much as in the more challenging climbs up mountains like Scotland's Ben Nevis or ones like Snowdon, Tryfan and Knicht in Wales.
League chess he discovered even later in life. Mike's neighbour, Peter Woodward of Meir Chess Club (then known as the Creda club), had begun playing friendly games with Mike when they went to their local pub and Peter eventually suggested to him that he was playing well enough to enjoy competitive games. He joined the Meir club about ten years ago when it was still based at Creda and quite soon his game improved and he became one of the keenest players at the club. Even outside the regular league season it was unusual to find Mike missing a Monday evening at the club.
It was thanks to Mike that I joined Meir Chess Club about 8 years ago.
Milke's funeral will take place at 11:00 on Monday 30th January at Carmountside Crematorium.
