Michael loved spending time with those closest to him
PEOPLE THROUGHOUT Wexford town, and Waterford, were saddened recently to learn of the passing of Michael Wadding, from Pineridge.
A devoted family man he loved spending time with those closest to him. Someone who was passionate about life he loved going on family holidays, initially, as a family when his children were young, and then later in life with his beloved wife, Mary.
He also liked going on golfing trips with friends and such was his interest in getting away and experiencing new places that he couldn’t wait to talk about his next holiday plans.
He loved swimming in the sea, eating al fresco and basking in the sunshine. With a very friendly personality Michael was someone who loved to talk and was always up for a bit of fun. That was an aspect of his persona that endeared him to everyone he came into contact with and it made him good company to be in; it was also why so many people enjoyed spending time with him.
As one family member commented: ‘He would light up any room he was in.’
Michael loved music and his favourite songs were ‘Teddy Bear’ and ‘The Wonder of You’, for which he always seemed to have his own personal backing group with Mary and their friends.
Such was his interest in music that for many years he was Master of Ceremonies in Michael Kelly’s for the Singing Pubs competition.
In addition to music Michael also had a keen interest in all forms of sport and in particular golf, rugby, soccer and hurling.
He took great pride and interest in the successes and exploits of his nieces, Mairead (on the track) and Ellen (in triathlon).
His first sporting love was for soccer and while he was a Liverpool supporter he always loved watching a good game of football regardless of who was playing.
His love and interest in the game came about from his 60-year involvement with Waterford Bohemians - a club for which he had a particular affinity. As Michael himself always said: ‘I like soccer but I love Bohs.’
A family member highlighted his passion for the club: ‘He bled red and black - the colours of the club.’
Michael adored his father, Ben, who was a Bohs founding member and it was he who introduced Michael to management when he was very young.
Such was Michael’s inherent talent for that role that he became one of the most successful managers in the history of Waterford football, winning multiple league and cup wins.
Michael’s approach was always about enjoying the game and before matches he would say to his teams: ‘It’s not the winning that’s important, it’s the competing.’
However, everybody knew he didn’t really mean that and he loved winning as much as the next person. There were some disappointments mixed in with success, particularly in the FAI Junior Cup, but Michael’s players were the core of the team that eventually won it in 1996 and some of his best friends were from the club.
Michael left Waterford with his family in 1990 and soon carved out a new life for himself in Wexford - primarily around golf and his great golfing friends.
He was always the first one on the tee-box and he loved the fun he had with the lads out on the course. He was mad about them, as they were about him.
However, it was his role as a dad and husband that made Michael truly stand out and he was a very good and supporting father. Some of his children’s favourite memories are from summer holidays spent in Tramore and Dunmore, or further afield in France and Portugal.
He used to count the number of swims they had per day, the number of times they were in and out of the water, and that was something he still did as was highlighted recently when, having gone on holiday to Lanzarote with his wife, Mary, he would tell her: ‘I had three swims today.’
As his children got older Michael was always there to support them during seminal moments in their lives such as buying homes and cars, getting engaged and married, and having their own kids.
Both him and Mary were immensely proud and hugely supportive of their children no matter what they did.
Michael worked in AIB Financing and Leasing until he retired in 2008 and always worked hard for his family. He spoke about doing more for his children, but his values, the respect he had for other people, his belief in the family unit, through good and bad times, all had a huge positive influence on his children as they grew into adulthood.
Michael was also very fond his own family and loved meeting up with his sisters, Ann, Eleanor and the late, Elizabeth, to recall stories of Waterford.
His passion for family really shone through when he became a grandad and he loved his grandchildren with all his heart.
‘He would get doughy eyed looking at the kids and would often sit up with Mary at night and chat about what made each of them special in their own right,’ said his son, Bernard.
‘Two more adoring grandparents would be hard to find,’ he added.
Michael was a regular sight walking around Wexford pushing the buggy with his grandchildren onboard. It’s a sight that will sadly, no longer be seen but one that many people will remember fondly.
The love between Michael and his grandchildren was a two-way street and they were equally fond of him. The fact that one of his grandchildren, Georgie, called him ‘nana Michael’ was something he took great pride in because it gave him equal status to that of ‘nana Mary’!
Unfortunately, Michael’s grandson, Ben, passed away when he was only three-years-of-age, and heartbroken, Michael would often say he would be the first to see him again.
Above everyone else, Michael loved his beloved wife, Mary, and they were regarded as a double-act.
Together since they were 15-years-of-age, the couple were inseparable and provided great support to each other through the good times and the bad.
The void left in the lives of everyone who knew him was highlighted by the outpouring of grief that came in the wake of his passing and at his Requiem Mass in the Church of the Assumption, Bridge Street, on Saturday, April 7. Following the mass Michael’s remains were interred in St. Ibar’s Cemetery, Crosstown.
He is survived and sadly missed by his wife, Mary, sons, Barry and Bernard, daughters, Laura and Mary Clare, sisters, Eleanor and Anne, grandchildren, Charlotte, Eoin, Sarah, Georgie, Orla and the late Ben.
He is also pre-deceased by his sister, Elizabeth, and by his parents, Ben and Betty.