Tribute to Gloucester man

18 August 2010, 10:10 | Updated: 18 August 2010, 10:23

The wife and stepson of a Gloucester man who died in a road collision in Staffordshire last week have paid tribute to him.

Alison Weller, who lived with 59 year old Mike at their home in Oxstalls Way in Gloucester, said that she was devastated by the loss and that her husband would always be in her heart.

Mrs Weller said: "Mike was snatched cruelly from us, and no one deserves that.  He was a very wonderful and loving husband and a very, very special person. He was my life - thoughtful, kind and caring, and with very old-fashioned values.  We did everything together.

"I can't describe how devastated I am but I also can't describe how overwhelmed I've been with the support we've received from family, friends and even strangers. It's helping us get through."

Mike's stepson Lee also enjoyed a close relationship with his stepfather and added: "I just want to thank him for being my dad and treating me as his own."

Mike was born in 1950 in Worcester Street and moved to Tuffley at the age of two-and-a-half. He then moved to Podsmead when he was nine and later attended Crypt School.

Following a vehicle builder/sheet metal apprenticeship, he worked for Wall's and in 1974 joined Gloster Saro where for 14 years he helped build airport fire engines before moving to a Quality Inspector's role within the company. He later did the same job at Ultra Hydraulics in Cheltenham and Engelhard in Coleford.  In 2003 he set up his own courier company MJW Xpress Carriers, which he worked for until his death.

Mrs Weller said the couple had recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary and that they had enjoyed a very happy life together.

"Mike always had a smile on his face and never worried about anything. I was the worrier. We had 25 years together and I just wish we could have had another 25 years," she said.

Amongst Mike's many hobbies and interests were fishing, crib, football, rugby, cricket and walking. He was due to walk for charity in the Race4Men event at Plock Court this Sunday but his stepson Lee and brother-in-law Colin will now be taking part in his memory.

Alison Weller said that her husband had also played skittles for teams in both city and charity leagues and was a regular at the Glevum Inn in Oxstalls Way.

"He was such a fun-loving person. He loved life and socialising with his friends. In the early days, Mike taught me how to fish and more recently how to play crib which we often played at home over a couple of beers," she said.

Mrs Weller also expressed her gratitude to a number of people: "I cannot thank the lorry drivers who stopped, paramedics and air ambulance who helped treat Mike enough. I'd also like to thank the police and our family liaison officer for their support," she said.

Donations in lieu of flowers to the County Air Ambulance Trust and Cancer Research UK.