EULOGY

It has been 2 months since my brothers funeral and I said back then I would share the Eulogy I read; especially since not everyone Mike knew could attend. I am finally doing that.

 I would like to thank my wife George for helping me complete this at what has been a very difficult time.

Here is the Eulogy I read/wrote. I hope you the reader can take the time to read about Mike and maybe as a bonus take something from this summary of the life and times my brother and I spent together. No writeup can ever do it the full justice, but this was a heartfelt effort.

RIP Mike Flatt. 04.04.80 - 10.12.12
Never Forgotten.

Michael was never one to be workshy. From an early age he’d use the simple initiative to pick up a sponge and bucket and go out washing cars around the neighbourhood or set up little enterprises with classmates.  Beyond this , Michael would commute to all ends of the map during his managerial days at Autoglass. However it wasn’t the just the get up and go attitude that attributed his work ethic, it was also because he paced himself and made time for friends and family alongside it. It seemed so fitting that he branched out and setup his own independent plumbing business and became the nemesis of blocked drains everywhere.

Through a large portion of pre-teen growing up, Michael and I shared a room. Our awesome bunk-bed doubled up as a space fortress, a pirate ship and an air-raid shelter amongst other things. Sometimes the shared room arrangement would result in a personality clash from time to time from fighting over the best bits of Lego to squabbling over who was toughest between Galvatron and Ultra Magnus.

It was time later on for our room arrangement to change in effort to give mum, dad and Helen some peace. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We upgraded from being roomates to next door neighbours when the attic was converted into upstairs rooms. This marked for us to make new and inventive ways to wind each other up, despite having our own space … and our own telly each. The neighbourly arrangement had its benefits and on random occasions as we’d bring one another tea or sneak up snacks pinched from the kitchen cupboard.  Sometimes the occasional can of John Smiths too…

Other fun childhood adventures included BMX Bike Riding, Sharing a Paper Round, and selling Dad’s pinched rhubarb door to door. These exploits presented us with common foes in our street such as The Battleaxe: Moldy Meadows, Inbred Chavs from Marlwood Drive and an unstable dog down the road which looked like its mother crossbreeded… with an alligator. This rogues gallery made life interesting for us both and we faced them together head on.

These were a few of the highlights Mike and I had together. He was like the Luigi to my Mario, the Grant to my Phil and the Rodney to my Del Boy. However, our dynamic was for real and the good times certainly outweighed bad. There is so much beyond this I’d love to share with Oliie, Josh and Ben about growing up with their dad that will last for years to come.

This is why I and we can have hope, for 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says – “For there is only one God and one who mediates between God and Man, Jesus Christ who was born a man and himself a sacrifice on behalf of all men, to pay the price to restore them to God”. This is the message that he gave to the world.

Gonna miss you,  “Bonkerhead”. I know I’ll See you again someday.