Page 47 - The Old Ratcliffian 2012

The Old Ratclifan 2012 | IntroductionThe Old Ratclifan 2012 | Obituaries up, shoes, socks and her bedroom was especially black, including the carpet, ceiling, curtains, walls, bed covers and sheets. Thankfully, she mellowed and grew out of her black phase and everyone breathed a sigh of relief that she didn’t move on to body piercing! In her professional career, Michelle had a number of happy years as part of the Auto Trader’s Customer Service Team and this is where she made a number of lifelong friends and where you all saw how empathetic and sensitive she was with people. She took her experience from Auto Trader to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) organisation and was settling into her new role and promotion to Customer Service Manager when the tragedy of her diagnosis with cancer occurred in late 2011. Before joining the LGO, Michelle had embarked on a massive fitness regime and had lost six stone in five months through applying her fierce discipline to herself, doing very hard exercise. She used to spend hours pounding away on the treadmills and, as the weight fell off at an extraordinary rate, her determination to change from big to slim grew even stronger. When the tragic diagnosis of terminal cancer was confirmed late last year, Michelle had a great job at the LGO in Coventry, a perfect partner and soul mate in Steve, and she had just put an offer on her dream home overlooking It oozed style, simplicity and tranquillity and the rarest of countryside on the outskirts of Birmingham. She fought honours was to be allowed to look into her front parlour, on bravely to the end, disguising just how ill she actually the understanding that shoes were not worn, to keep the was, and in true Michelle style she gave Steve precise carpet clean. instructions on how he should go on and live without her. Michelle’s idea of a perfect holiday was to stop at home and put on her pyjamas and her pink fluffy dressing gown. All the feedback about Michelle is unreservedly positive; She would put her feet up on her favourite brown leather her remarkable warmth and empathy are mentioned time sofa to watch daytime telly and drink lots of her favourite and again and it is clear that she was a positive influence Yorkshire Tea while she and Steve would plan the next on the lives of everyone that she interacted with. She cared day’s excursion to a local hotel to try out their big buffet deeply for others and always put their needs and wishes breakfast. before her own.” Robin Cammish As a teenager Michelle went through a ‘grunge’ stage Father and, like everything else that she did, black was done with a passion; she had black clothes, hair, nails, make- Howard Francis Hobday Old Ratcliffian 1950-54 Died 22nd April 2012 Howard and his three younger His business career in textiles took brothers all attended Grace Dieu and him to Germany, Switzerland and Ratcliffe from 1948-1963. India, where he represented SAPT AG and Rhotex. His wife Lilette A member of the 1st XI in 1954, Howard opened and was feared by predeceased him in 2000. He leaves the opposing opening batsmen as a behind a very close friend, Joyce very accurate and very fast bowler. He Markum, two sons, one daughter, appeared in a number of Fr Leetham’s seven grandchildren and three (15) Gilbert and Sullivan operettas brothers. He will be sorely missed. with a ‘near lead’ in The Mikado. An Michael Hobday (61) accomplished cellist, he often took Brother the stage with Fr Leetham, performing duets at various school shows. 47 Register online at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uknline at www.ratclifanassociation.co.uk Register o 47