Michael Lea Obituary, Death Cause – We are forced to break the news to you all with a heavy heart that Michael Lea has passed away. Mike was a long-time member of the Club and has served as President of both the Arctic Club and the Scottish Arctic Club. He was also a founding member of the Club. Mike and his wife Kate traveled to East Greenland on a number of excursions over the summer months.
Because of his unwavering dedication, the Club owes Mike a huge debt of appreciation. In addition to being an active member of the committee, he was responsible for establishing the website that is currently in use as well as the email system that is used. His helpfulness and direction will be lovingly recalled in people’s minds forever. Mike at the annual club dinners always had excellent stories to tell and had some fantastic images to show off.
Mike was full of energy after he retired, and he was the one who was responsible for authoring books and getting other young people interested in traveling to the Arctic. In addition to being a member of the Arctic Club, Kate is someone who many of the other members will be familiar with. Our deepest condolences go out to her at this difficult time. At the Eden Valley Crematorium in Temple Sowerby, Cumbria, the cremation of Michael will take place on Thursday, May 11 at 2:00 o’clock in the afternoon. Everyone is encouraged to attend.
If you would like to make a donation in Michael’s memory, I would recommend either WithUkraine, which is the official fundraising donation page of the Ukrainian Embassy in the UK (Michael had several Physics links with Ukraine and was there again in 2018, spending a day with Olga and Zhenya in Odessa, both of whom are currently staying with me in the UK), or Eden Animal Rescue.
If you would like to make a donation in Michael’s memory, please click here. Donations can be made in person at the cremation, or they can be made online at www.walkersfunerals.co.uk, or they can be mailed to Walker’s Funeral Directors at the following address: Chapel Street, Appleby-in-Westmorland, CA16 6QR.
Kate has prepared a booklet on Michael’s life that she is more than willing to email to anyone who requests it but is unable to attend the service. Although the booklet covers many elements of his life, we have been informed that it provides a significant amount of information regarding their travels in Greenland.