Today we look at the life of Michael Whitehouse, in the fourth of a series of articles remembering those lost to coronavirus over the past year. We’d like to thank the families and friends who have been in touch with the Stray Ferret to share precious memories of their loved ones.

Michael Whitehouse was born on January 2, 1954 in Tipton in the West Midlands. He died aged 67 on February 1, 2021 at Harrogate District Hospital.

Michael was love by his wife, Christine, all his children and family who said "he was the best" and will be missed deeply.

He grew up in the West Midlands with his two siblings before moving to Harrogate 32 years ago after meeting his wife Christine.

Before coming to Harrogate he worked as a cabinet maker and as an engineer for BT.

Michael could turn his hand to anything and was "polite to everyone". He walked into a Harrogate bar in the summer of 1989 unaware his future wife was sitting in the same place.

From that day the pair were inseparable and got married on June 6, 1994 at Harrogate registry office.

The pair settled into family life in Harrogate, joining their families and then going on to have four children together.

The pairs combined family was made up of 11 children including Richard, Lisa, Sarah, Stacey, Scott, Adam, Emma and Karl who live locally.

Micheal started working for Yellow Line Taxis in Harrogate and worked as a driver for the Army Foundation College taking the staff to work.

After getting married on June 6, 1994 at Harrogate registry office the pair settled into family life in Harrogate.

Micheal was a big Harrogate Town fan and shared his love, in his later years, with his sons and grandson by heading to weekend home games. He also supported West Bromwich Albion.

Family was everything to Micheal and with 17 grandchildren and three great grandchildren he was never without company.

Despite moving to Harrogate, he had a strong relationship with his brother Robert whom he always admired.

His other big passion was British birds and kept birds in his garden. Christine remembers how he would entertain the children on walks around the Yorkshire countryside pointing out the different birds.

He was a keen gardener too, his son, Adam, said he was "always busy doing something".

Christine and Michael also enjoyed their yearly holidays to Mablethorpe. Christine says she "misses him every day".

Towards the end of his life, Michael was taken to hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. He was in hospital for 11 days before passing away.

The family said they were "grateful" and found comfort in being able to be with him at the end when other families couldn't. Even at the end, Michael's priority was his family and asked his children to take care of Christine.

Christine said her husband was the man you meet "once in a lifetime" and says she will treasure their time together.

The family wanted to thank anyone who had reached out for their support during this difficult time.