Michael Bown (1951)

Obituary by Michael’s son, Jeremy Bown (1980)

Michael est né le 22 mai 1932, à Leicester, en Angleterre, dans un milieu modeste. Enfant unique, Michael était le chouchou de ses parents.

Dès son plus jeune âge, il a révélé une grande intelligence et un sérieux remarquable, qualités qui lui ont permis d’obtenir une bourse académique à Cambridge. Ses études lui ont servi de tremplin pour sa carrière et pour l’avenir brillant qui l’attendait.

Étudiant, Michael est tombé amoureux de Dora. Ils se sont mariés jeunes et, à seulement 29 ans, ils étaient déjà parents de trois enfants.

Sa vie professionnelle s’est déroulée dans l’industrie, où son travail et sa réussite lui ont permis de prendre une retraite confortable à seulement 50 ans.

Une fois retraités, Michael et Dora ont choisi de s’installer au Touquet, où ils ont trouvé leur équilibre et leur bonheur. Ils partageaient leur temps entre Le Touquet et la Côte d’Azur.

Le golf du Touquet et le Cercle de l’Aube occupaient une place centrale dans sa vie. Il y jouait quatre à cinq fois par semaine. 

Bien sûr, cette activité était bon pour sa bonne santé, mais ce qu’il en retirait avant tout, c’était l’amitié, les liens sociaux et l’énergie que lui apportait ses amis golfiques.

On ne peut pas dire que Michael avait le swing le plus élégant de la Côte d’Opale, mais il était un golfeur acharné. 

Grâce à son petit jeu, et surtout à son putting, il affichait un handicap de 18.

Après le décès de Dora, la vie a offert à Michael une nouvelle chance avec la rencontre de Marie. 

Voisine et amie, elle lui a permis de retrouver une joie de vivre, de voyager, et de se sentir motivé à se lever chaque matin. Une bénédiction.

Michael nous a quitté, mais il a profité à fond des 18 trous de la vie, et aussi du 19^ième.

Daddy was born an only child into modest surroundings in Leicester in 1932. Getting out in the nineties is always disappointing for a batsman, but it was still an amazing innings.

It was all the more amazing for the fact that in cricketing terms, Daddy was saved at least twice by the Third Umpire. I remember getting a call from Steph to tell me that Daddy had been rushed into St Thomas’ hospital for an emergency operation for colon cancer. He was 64 and I think Steph said his chances of survival were around 30%. Having laughed off the cancer, he went on to have a heart attack shortly afterwards.

In more recent years, Daddy had high blood pressure, low blood pressure, a twisted gut and a broken shoulder, to name but a few of his ailments. He would fall over on a regular basis, the most dramatic being when he fell all the way down the concrete  staircase at home when rushing to answer the door rather than taking his stair lift. A sore thumb was the only damage.

Daddy  was incredibly resilient in life, both physically and mentally. He dealt with triumph and adversity in equal measure. Although his passing is sad, this is a time to celebrate his life. The time for him to sign off had definitely arrived.

At his peak, he was driving his Rolls Royce to work in Pall Mall every day and playing squash at the Oxford and Cambridge Club at lunchtimes. He regularly flew on Concorde to New York and he and mummy would go on the most extravagant business trips. I remember them going to Bermuda and on safari in Kenya for board meetings. When they went to Paris, they would stay in the Lancaster Hotel and would dine at Fouquets on the Champs Elysees.

Daddy’s great hobbies in life were sailing, golf and reading. He was an expert on the First and Second World Wars. He took us one day for a guided tour of the trenches and la Coupole and it was then that I came to appreciate the depth of his knowledge.

Daddy would best be described as an intrepid captain. Daddy’s approach to sailing mirrored his approach to life. “Come hell or high water” we were going out. He was a very keen racer, whether cross Channel, preferably in a gale, or around the cans in the Solent on a Sunday morning, preferably in the winter. The pinnacle of his racing career was winning in The Champagne Mumm Starlight Series in a Contessa 33, a boat that he  had had designed and commissioned by Rob Humphries.

After selling his boat, he took up golf here in le Touquet. Not the most talented golfer, but certainly the most determined. Golf was a big part of his life in retirement, and his career was ended only by an unfortunate accident, at the golf club, when he tripped over a hose and broke his shoulder.

Daddy was not cut out for a career in the diplomatic service and was always forthright with his views on life, but he did soften up in his twilight years.

After Mummy had her brain haemorrhage, Daddy devoted himself to her night and day and demonstrated the depth of his devotion to her.

The death of a loved one is a time for reflection and a reminder of the transient nature of life, never more so than in the case of the death of a parent when you have children yourself. It is a time to count our blessings.

Go well dear father, and rest in peace.