William Michael Cooke was a consultant general surgeon at James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough. He was born on 16 June 1937 in Derby City Hospital, where his father, Gordon Cooke, became the youngest medical superintendent. Gordon was from the Isle of Man, and his father was a Methodist minister, which meant religion was important to the Cooke family. His mother, Dorothy Cooke née Williams, was from Edinburgh and obtained the rare distinction of qualifying as both an anaesthetist and a dentist. She started her career as a school dentist in Roxburghshire, where Michael was to spend some of his early childhood in the war to avoid being bombed in Derby, which was a target because it was the location of Rolls Royce. It was during the war that his younger sister Lynda was born. After the war the family lived in the grounds of the City Hospital. Michael first attended Foremarke Hall, the preparatory school for Repton, before later boarding at Kingswood School in Bath, which his father, uncle and older cousin had attended. This was a happy time for Michael and he achieved in both sport and academia. There were always high expectations of the Cooke family, which was no doubt passed on to other generations. He then went up to Merton College, Oxford in 1955, to read animal physiology. He also represented the college at tennis. He then moved to London, where he entered St Mary’s Hospital Medical School, Paddington, receiving a Harmsworth scholarship. He was proud to have served here as the last surgical dresser as a student to Sir Arthur Dickson Wright. Michael qualified in 1962 and obtained the FRCS in 1967. He was a house surgeon at the Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, with A S Till, and at Hammersmith Hospital, a casualty officer at St Thomas’, a surgical registrar at St Charles’ Hospital with J I Burn, and a senior registrar at Hammersmith with R B Welbourn and at Northampton General Hospital. In 1975 he accepted a position at Middlesbrough General Hospital as a consultant surgeon, specialising in gastrointestinal surgery. He created the first endoscopy unit in the town, initially mainly from charitable sources, ran a busy gastric clinic, and, following the gradual demise of surgery for peptic ulcer, developed a unit specialising in oesophageal cancer, although he remained a general surgeon of the old school to the end. He was instrumental in appointing the first medical gastroenterologists to the hospital. In 1995 he moved from the old Middlesbrough General to South Cleveland Hospital, which was extended to form the 1,000-bed James Cook University Hospital and ended his career there as chief of service of the division of surgery. He was an honorary associate clinical lecturer at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, an honorary clinical tutor to Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London and an honorary tutor at the faculty of medicine and dentistry, University of Dundee. He was a member of the British Society of Gastroenterology, the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, and the North of England Surgical Society. His career was the dominant component in his life and something he took great pride in. He was held in deep respect by colleagues and patients alike, and patient welfare was his top priority. He had a strong personality, but beneath the carapace of a brisk and somewhat stern attitude, which brooked no nonsense, was a cheerful man with a gentle sense of humour, whose loyalty to his long-standing nursing staff was returned in spades. His work ethic and sense of duty always extended to a ward round on Christmas morning. He was married twice, first to Katherine (née Moore), with whom he had Emma and Helen. Sarah and Richard were his children with his second wife, Helen (née Skinner). In 1982 Michael and Helen bought a small cottage under the Cleveland Hills, and built it into Parklands, which was to be the family home for 40 years. Over the years many animals were added: ponies, donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, cats and dogs. He was a dedicated father, often taking Emma and Helen skating, swimming and diving in the sea. Sarah and Richard were taken for tennis lessons up the lane. In return outdoor assistance would be expected – putting up fencing in winter in the driving rain, or in the summer evenings taking in the hay bales from the top field. Sport was a main passion – conversation was effectively banned during Wimbledon and the Six Nations. He was a keen Derby County supporter. His other passion was his sheep, as well as his two border collies, Tess and Meg. Lambing season was the highlight; always needing plenty of help with bottle feeding and castrating. Rounding up the sheep was always much more challenging – he never mentioned it but I'm sure he always regretted not getting Tess and Meg trained properly. He travelled extensively in retirement, to Antarctica, China and Russia, amongst other places. He enjoyed the rest of his years with his children and seven grandchildren, watching sport and drinking his favourite Black Sheep beer.