Michael James Adey

Despite his efforts of cunning and persuasion, Dad was unable to escape Beausejour Hospital. 

On May 12, 2023, Mike Adey passed away peacefully surrounded by his three children and both his surviving siblings Cathy (Bim) Collinson and Lesile (K.C.) Wynne. He is reunited with his parents, Dorin (Smith) and Dr. A.B. (Bram) Adey, brothers Greg and Drew (Diane), sister Pam (Preston) McKeever, nephew Matthew, numerous close friends, and his beloved cat, “Waffles.” Mike passed quickly, consistent with his record of minimizing inconvenience to others for the 67 years since September 25th of 1955.

He was happiest at his “camp” on the bank of  “The Mighty Brokenhead.”  He still enjoyed braving the long Manitoba Winters by the skill of his own hand and perseverance of his own will. Bed, door, or table, he built nearly everything in his Camp during his 30 years in Bush’s Park. 

Dad had an astounding number of enduring relationships. He remained committed to his children, Alison (Mike), Martin (Joanna), and Erin, as well as his nieces and nephews, friends, neighbours, and 30-year-old houseplant, Floyd.

Mike knew nearly every word of every song written by Bob Dylan or the Stones— but if people were around, you’d only catch him listening to the CBC on his tuner radio. 

Mike frequently talked about his long loyal relationships with friends, neighbours, family, and colleagues. It’s clear Dad’s relationships were some of his proudest achievements, and they were formed all over the Country; Atikokan, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Beausejour, and the whole North Shore of Lake Superior. Mike made friends easily— from the cashiers at CO-OP to the septic technicians at Pioneer Pumping.

Mike was enjoying his retirement and was proud to be called “Pop-pop” by Leo, Charlotte, and Lowen. Despite decades of dental catastrophes, Mike maintained his love for Poppy-Cock, peanut brittle and Eatmore bars. He recently said he was the happiest he’d ever been.

Dad kept his positive attitude to the bitter end. Never one to complain or seek sympathy, even in his final days, Dad continued to laugh and refer to himself as “a picture of health.” 

Mike is remembered most for his quick, unstoppable sense of humour. He had a knack for finding the perfect joke in moments of extreme tension or seriousness. You can imagine how many of these opportunities he enjoyed during his final days in hospital. 

Mike didn’t take himself too seriously. Or anything else for that matter. Always willing to laugh at himself, Dad was hard to offend. Which is fortunate, as his kids have taken due liberty with his obituary. Dad had a saying for every situation, “a guy” for every job, and an off-beat nickname for every person.

Mike was never one to preach, preferring instead to lead quietly by example. He left his children with a number of important lessons:

First, “it’s just stuff.” A man of simple tastes, Mike died with a closet full of gifted sweaters with tags on them. Dad never grieved the loss of material possessions, or worried about not having enough. He knew that having it all was a state of mind.

Second, never burn a bridge, and be quick to forgive. We aren’t sure he ever forgave Peter Mansbridge for retiring, but Dad believed grudges should be “dropped like a bad habit,” and grievances shook like “water off a duck’s back.” Off and Gone.

Third, the less you expect of others, the more they’ll surprise you. Dad didn’t put expectations on people, and firmly believed that no one owed him anything. According to Dad, others should do what they want and come and go as they please. His casa was always su casa, so he hoped you’d drop by sometime, but would never hold it against you if you didn’t.

And lastly— one is never poor if one has ketchup.

Our family has been blown away by the outpouring of love and support from Mike’s neighbours and friends. Special thanks to the nurses and aids at Beausejour Health Centre for their skill and care. We’ll be forever grateful to Aunties Cathy and Les for their love and leadership through the most difficult moments of Dad’s final days.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the Beausejour Health Centre Patio Project. We hope this project will honour his love for the sounds of the birds chirping and the wind blowing (and of course, some peace and quiet to enjoy a cigarette). 

Never the centre of attention, Mike did not wish to have a funeral, service, or similar “big ordeal”.   As Dad would say, “put a smile on you pylon… let’s blow this popsicle stand!”

www.soberingfuneralchapel.com

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