Michael Broadway

Michael, who died in July, aged 76, was one of Jericho's many 'characters'. He was born in St. Barnabas Street in 1932 and never moved out of Jericho - his mother buying 19 Jericho St. for £112 in 1950. He went to St Barnabas school and then worked at the Taphouses music shop. At the age of 18 he joined the RAF but developed TB and was invalided out of the service, spending some time in the isolation Rivermead hospital. In 1955, at the age of 23, he was appointed organist at St Barnabas by Fr. Donald Nicholson, beginning a life-long love affair between Michael and the Church and choir - though he had a curious sort of detachment from its teachings and is reported to have said once: "We don't know anything more about God than about the quangle-wangle's hat!" Michael was an inspiring teacher of music for generations of choirboys. In the early days he started a club for them in the Institute and set up 'Friends of the Choir' to fund the poorer children. But he also inspired generations of people with a love of history and in particular of local history. The 'Oxford Past & Present' course at what is now the University's Department for Continuing Education was his baby. Michael was a bon vivant and an oenophile. Although he was often ill, he also had hidden reserves of energy - not least for waging war on 'the authorities' - including traffic wardens, police, and the management at the university. Michael's domestic life was never straightforward but he did all he could for his children. When they were younger their friends referred to him as the 'dad-cab' as he was always on call to collect them. He gave great support to his son Matthew and was often at Sarah's bedside as she underwent one operation after another following a terrible accident. He lived just long enough to see the birth of Sarah's baby - his first grandchild.