ForeverMissed
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This memorial website was created in memory of our dearest loved one, Michael Lanzon, who was born on September 1, 1933 and passed away on May 24, 2020.

We will remember him and keep him always in our hearts.

Please feel free to sign into this web site and add a tribute below or share a story by clicking the 'Stories' tab above. We'd appreciate it very much. Thank you.

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June 2, 2023
June 2, 2023
time passes, waits for no one but your memory lives on forever. May you rest in eternal peace my dear uncle Mike ❤
May 24, 2023
May 24, 2023
Beautiful memories of a beautiful man. Always there giving his time , love and care ....beautiful memories❤
July 26, 2020
July 26, 2020
I only knew Michael in the latter years on the committee of our body corporate and he was such a great support to me. He was such a distinguished gentleman. I'm sure you are having great conversations and debates up there Michael. 
July 20, 2020
July 20, 2020
What a celebration!
Thank you Peter and all the family for letting us experience my dear uncle Mike's celebration of life. You did an amazing job in creating this memorial website in remembrance of a person who gave and loved so much throughout his life.
Uncle Michael, who also happens to be my godfather - 'il-filjozza tieghi' - he used to tell me with a loving tone in his voice. And Mike, being the gentleman that he was, true to his word, proved to be a real godfather. He lived on the other side of the globe, yet he was there for me to offer mentorship ...my father was taken at the very young age of 54 ..
Way back ...many moons ago... in the early 90's, when I had no idea what a computer was, let alone a smart phone, or the web/internet. In those days we only had writing pads and had no emails, maybe a telephone but no skype or instant messaging. So, at the time, a girl in her twenties was passing through a difficult time in her life and her dear godfather was there to give advice, to encourage, energize positivity and so much more. I used to look forward so much to his letters which I have treasured throughout these years. Indeed, I have always cherished his words of advice <3
Uncle Michael left a great influence on so many people in many great different ways. He "was a light who shone for many"....I chose to light a Candle!
July 4, 2020
July 4, 2020
What a celebration!
Thank you Peter and all the family for letting us experience my dear uncle Mike's celebration of life. You did an amazing job in creating this memorial website in remembrance of a person who gave and loved so much throughout his life.
Uncle Michael, who also happens to be my godfather - 'il-filjozza tieghi' - he used to tell me with a loving tone in his voice. And Mike, being the gentleman that he was, true to his word, proved to be a real godfather. He lived on the other side of the globe, yet he was there for me to offer mentorship ...my father was taken at the very young age of 54 ..
Way back ...many moons ago... in the early 90's, when I had no idea what a computer was, let alone a smart phone, or the web/internet. In those days we only had writing pads and had no emails, maybe a telephone but no skype or instant messaging. So, at the time, a girl in her twenties was passing through a difficult time in her life and her dear godfather was there to give advice, to encourage, energize positivity and so much more. I used to look forward so much to his letters which I have treasured throughout these years. Indeed, I have always cherished his words of advice <3
Uncle Michael left a great influence on so many people in many great different ways. He "was a light who shone for many"....I chose to light a Candle!
June 29, 2020
June 29, 2020
Unc Michael such a dear and beloved person,always ready to listen and converse with anyone, he will remain in the memory of so many people.. myself included.. He always made the person feel interesting and appreciated ...such a warm and loving personality ....so unique..
sending my love to you dear cousins, a smile just came to my face amongst the tears as I suddenly remembered one episode when your dad chastened you to be tidy ..had some dust on your shoes or something :)....always so meticulous
Sending a huge hug to you and your dear ones ❤


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Recent Tributes
June 2, 2023
June 2, 2023
time passes, waits for no one but your memory lives on forever. May you rest in eternal peace my dear uncle Mike ❤
May 24, 2023
May 24, 2023
Beautiful memories of a beautiful man. Always there giving his time , love and care ....beautiful memories❤
July 26, 2020
July 26, 2020
I only knew Michael in the latter years on the committee of our body corporate and he was such a great support to me. He was such a distinguished gentleman. I'm sure you are having great conversations and debates up there Michael. 
His Life

Michael Lanzon

June 25, 2020
Papa, Nannu, Grandpa, Uncle, Brother, Son, Mentor, Friend
Celebrating the Life
Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church
Forestville, Sydney Australia
Friday, 5th June 2020
Celebrant: Father Shiju Simon
(Follow the words below as you watch the Celebration Mass video .. 
Clicking the link will open the video in a new tab - or - Right-click the link and select 'Open In New Window')


It is hard to find the words to express the influence that Papa had on the lives of us, his three sons.  It is through his example that we learned to be the professional and family men that we are today.

He was hardworking, strong, and loving. He loved his family and was deeply devoted to our mother, to us, and to his beloved wife, Josiane. He lived his life in the best way he knew how, and we believe that he made a difference in the world.

Papa told us many stories of his life. One such story is as pre-teen Mike during World War 2 living in Malta. He told us of brazen adventures with his small band of merry friends making mischief daily, running amok through broken buildings, playing on unexploded bombs, constructing amazing go-karts out of crashed German warplane wreckage, which they raced downhill against neighbouring gangs. He recalled one time when the air raid sirens were blaring and his mother thought he was safely underground in the shelter but he snuck outside with his mates, bombs dropping all around them, dashing from one doorway to another, when a bomb exploded almost on top of him, shrapnel flying everywhere and hit him in the leg below the knee! He was very proud of that scar! At 12, it was all fun and exciting and would become the motivation for Papa to live an adventurous and fulfilled life.

A big part of this life included his love of theatre. This is a flame that was ignited in a pub late one night during his university days in England studying Electrical Engineering. Papa did not have a strong command of the English language back then and says he was often asked to not attend lectures until his English improved. He was discussing this one night with newfound friends in the local pub when a university lecturer overheard the robust discussion and invited Papa to join a university drama group in order to fast-track his language skills. This was to be the start of a lifelong passion for him. During the cold winters and warm summers of university life in England, a budding young actor emerged who would go on to perform live theatre in Malta and London, from Shakespeare to classics, such as the lead role in "Death of a Salesman", for which Papa won well-deserved theatre awards. He persevered and overcame the language barrier to speak the Queen's English as easily as any English gentleman could. 

Towards the end of university in England, Papa returned to Malta to complete National Service with the Navy as a civilian "sparky" working on submarines. 

As the years went by, Papa explored opportunities that led him to a career in Television and Radio in Malta and in England, where he was trained by the BBC. He excelled as a journalist, announcer, programmer, producer, and director. Papa related many happy memories of his time with Television Malta and Rediffusion as a journalist and news anchor including highlights such as covering for Malta the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and Malta’s Independence from Britain in 1964. He met our mother, Edith, around this time as she was a young radio broadcaster in Malta and he was one of her programmers.They married after a short courtship and continued to work together in radio and television over the years, whilst bringing up their three awesome boys! 

My memories really kick in at a time when Papa moved our little family to a new country in July 1970. He left his successful career in Television and Radio in Malta and England to start a new life in Australia, motivated predominantly by political upheaval in Europe and his desire to make a better life for us. We can definitely say that Papa carved out a wonderful, loving home here.

However, he did meet an uncertain future at the start and took it on with his usual determination to succeed. At the time, Australia did not have any opportunities for a young media professional from Europe with Papa’s level of skills and experience that would provide a suitable income for his young family. So, he started again from scratch and built a new career with Rank Xerox starting out as a photocopy salesman who had no idea what he was doing. According to one story that Papa was known to tell, he would come home crying every day for the first few months wondering if he’d done the right thing coming to Australia. His manager at the time told him that at 37 years old, photocopy salesmen are burning out, not starting out!! This must have been like a red rag to a bull. The next ten years would see him become a well-respected knowledgeable educator and establish himself as an authority in the training methods adopted by top salesmen and companies in the industry at that time.

We moved six houses, five towns, and three schools in our first eight years in Australia, while he established this new career with Rank Xerox. We finally settled in Collaroy Plateau in 1978. This stabilised us as a family for the years to come. Papa only sold the family home at 37 Kirkstone Rd eight months ago. That was the end of a great chapter in all our lives.

My parents entertained many people at their various homes and attended many more parties at other people’s homes. Small, medium, and large parties. Intimate dinner parties, fun dress up parties, energetic dance parties, parties to meet new people, and parties to celebrate all manner of special occasions. I used to love listening to the music and laughter, the sound muted through my closed bedroom door, pretending I was asleep as I heard mum walking up the hallway during the night’s partying and popping her head in to check on my brothers and me.

A couple whom we’d never met, knew our parents in the 1980’s and remembered them as so many others have done: 

“Our sincere deepest condolences on the passing away of your dad, Mike. We met your parents a few times during our sojourn in Sydney between 1986 and 1988, when I was assigned the task to set up Bank of Valletta over there. Fond memories indeed. Although I did not manage to keep in touch with all the lovely people I met in Australia (too many to count let alone follow), I do not forget those who made us feel so welcome. Your parents were such and they invited us to their home on several occasions. I knew your parents briefly in my younger days when I used to do TV programs, so as part of the fraternity, so to speak. But even before that, I used to attend the Lyceum where your uncle Marc Storace was also a student, though he was about 3 years my senior. So when we came to Sydney, as I explained earlier, many of the Maltese community came to know about us. We were like the “new” socialites in those days. To be perfectly honest I don’t recall how we came to be invited by your parents the first time but what I recall vividly is a Carnival costume party we had at their home on one of our visits. It was real but honest fun.
Now that Mike has joined your beloved mother Edith, May they both Rest In Peace.
Sincere regards from the Mifsud family in Sliema, Malta.”.


Papa always made people feel welcome and took the time to get to know them. He was friendly and approachable, and many people became great friends of his and our little family. He always made it a point to meet all our friends and make them feel welcome and part of the family, too. One of my oldest and dearest friends, Dale, whom I met in early high school, came to regard my father as his mentor. Dale lost his own Dad when he was three years old and never liked to talk about it much. His young life was confused, and he sensed some stability with us. Of course, I didn’t know that back then, but Papa recognised it and took Dale quietly under his wing. We sadly lost Dale to a brain tumour several years ago, but Papa always had a soft spot in his heart for him. Dale’s wife Gina recently reminded me of the special bond between him and Papa.

A close cousin of ours, Alexander, who now lives in the UK but spent some years here, wrote this about his uncle Michael:

“It is very hard for us to find the words that describe the huge impact uncle Michael has had on our lives. When we came to Australia so many years ago in 2002, he gave us back the family we left behind in Europe. We arrived in Australia as newlyweds and soon after had our two daughters in Australia. Uncle Michael welcomed us into his family. He opened his arms and his heart and let us into his life. We remember with great fondness all the wonderful times we had together, the Christmases, the Easters, the birthdays we celebrated with him and his lovely family in Sydney. We remember the laughter and the lively and intellectually stimulating discussions around the dinner table. He was able to transform every encounter with him into a celebration, and gave us fond memories to cherish forever, and for this we will be always grateful to him. Our life in Australia was beautiful because he made us feel so loved. Uncle Michael has, without doubt, touched many lives, in many wonderful ways, but to us, our beloved uncle Michael, was special beyond words and we can only hope that, through following his examples, we will be able to achieve half of what he did in double the time. Love, Alex, Laura, Dominique, and Nicole” 

However old you are, you are never prepared for a world in which the person with whom you perhaps fought and butted heads with, who shaped you and whom you loved and relied on for unconditional love and support is gone. I am glad to say his boys were able to give some of that unconditional love back to him in our own way.

We could talk to our Dad about anything, no matter how crazy, embarrassing, sad or complicated it was. Or just because we needed help with something. We could ask him for advice, and he would always have an answer and help us to work through a solution. 

I once said to him that there are a few things I would do differently as a father myself. He agreed with me as he knew how different I was to him in many ways. He said that I would need to understand what I would change, ask myself why I would change it, and put some thought into what the changed thing would actually look like. That was the best advice ever!! One of my proudest moments was when he said to me, “Peter, you’re a wonderful father to your son. Whatever it is that you’re doing, keep doing it. Well done.” Papa said the same to all three of us at one stage or another. 

There are so many more stories we could tell you about Papa and we’re sure you all have your own that we would love to hear one day.

After mum, Edith, died in '96, Papa lost his way for a year or two. His anger and sadness were difficult for all of us. They were both still young. Papa had just retired and looked forward to growing old gracefully by mum’s side. Unfortunately, that was not to be. However, he faced the situation with typical determination, took counselling, and healed himself. We knew he would be ok when he enrolled in a ballroom dancing class. This opened an entire new world for him with new friends, new connections, and a renewed sense of self-worth. At around this time, Papa decided to return to full time work in front-line sales and secured a position with Australia Post. He thoroughly enjoyed being a salesman even with Xerox because it meant he did not need to spend a lot of time in the office. It allowed him the freedom to set his own agenda and be out-and-about with people. The challenges invigorated him, too, and this role provided the interaction he sought as well as a coveted work-life balance. He was in his mid-70s when he eventually retired again, proud of the many sales milestones he had achieved during his time at Australia Post.

Papa was so very blessed to have met Josiane who was his angel from heaven. They fell in love, and enjoyed 19 happily married years together, sharing many friends, experiences, and memories. We love Josiane dearly and thank her for bringing so much contentment and love into Papa’s life and for treating his family as her own.

Over the past year or two, we saw Papa struggling with the way he perceived life was treating him, and we wish we could have taken all the pain and loneliness of this struggle away from him. His body was letting him down while his mind remained young and determined as ever. Josiane retired from her career three months ago and they both looked forward to sharing good times together. Then the COVID pandemic shut the world down and kept Papa locked inside and isolated. In February, all his health checks resulted in the all-clear. However, the ‘Use By’ date of his heart took us all by surprise. His doctors were equally caught off-guard. 

Papa was alert and strong to his final breath on Sunday 24 May 2020 at 10:32am and, as ever before, he was not going to leave anything to chance. Always strong and determined to play it his way and in his own time. It was a surprise to us but it was Papa's time and he knew it, accepted it, and made a clear and conscious decision not to take things further.

He was very much at peace and happy. A comforting calmness came over him in the final moments and he smiled at us. He had always hoped and prayed that he would go quickly, and the Holy Spirit helped with his wish. 

Gentle and kind, knowledgeable and wise, generous and ever the optimist, Papa embraced every joy and every challenge that came his way. He was a light who shone for many, carefully and skillfully crafting and shaping a legacy that will live on richly in us, his family, always. He loved to entertain and be entertained; he laughed loudly and freely; he showed us dignity and integrity; he knew sophistication and style. He remained humble and ever proud in others' achievements and his determination to succeed was a quiet example to others.

And above all of this was Papa’s devout Faith in a universal God. An unwavering belief that we are all connected and have a responsibility to each other and beyond. 

His closest family was fortunate to be with him when the time came for him to leave us: Josiane, Patrick, and me by his bedside, with Michael Jnr the phone from the US. Our good friend, Father Shiju, also joined us. Papa was surrounded by love and peace and we said our goodbyes with open and honest hearts, secure in the knowledge that he is resting in eternal peace with all our loved ones who have gone before him.
St. Mary MacKillop Prayer
Ever generous God, you inspired Saint Mary MacKillop to live her life faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and constant in bringing hope and encouragement to those who were disheartened, lonely or needy. We ask that our faith and hope be fired afresh by the Holy Spirit so that we too, like Mary MacKillop, may live with courage, trust and openness.
Ever generous God hear our prayer. We ask this through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Michael Lanzon Celebration Mass Booklet

June 25, 2020
Michael Lanzon Celebration Mass Booklet
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(Follow along with the booklet as you watch the Celebration Mass video.
Click the PDF icon at left.)
To read the booklet and watch the Mass video simultaneously you can:
1. Open the PDF on another device or ...
2. Right-click the PDF, select "Open in new window", and resize the video and booklet windows side-by-side [works best if you have a large screen or two screens]

Michael Lanzon - A Life in Pictures

June 28, 2020
Papa loved his family and was deeply devoted to our mother, his three boys, and to his beloved wife Josiane. He lived his life in the best way he knew how, and we believe that he made a difference in the world.


Eternal rest give unto him O, Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace,
AMEN
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