Michael Christofi (28 Oct 1936 - 23 Apr 2025)

This is a brief summary of Michael’s life written by his granddaughter, Eleni, with help from the family:

Grandad was born in Cyprus in 1936 to a loving family, one of 13 siblings. In the 1950s, he was part of the Omonia FC Team, one of Cyprus’ most successful football clubs. You can see in the photos below one of his team photos. Joining the team was a proud moment for him, as they were able to provide him with nicer clothes and shoes than he was used to wearing.
Upon moving to the UK as a teenager, grandad met his beloved wife, Rita, and they were married in 1958 when he was just 21. He mostly worked as a painter/decorator, and Rita worked in HM Treasury in the postal room. In 1965 they had their daughter Ashley, followed by their son Joe in 1968. Rita’s sister Kathy also had her daughter, Kylie, and the three had a lovely childhood growing up on Guinness Square. The family lived in Guinness Square for many years, alongside Kathy, their cousin Yonnie, and many close neighbours. He loved his cars and was very proud of the Zodiac he brought home one day when Ashley and Joe were still children.
In the 1990s, Ashley and Joe both had two children each (Luke, Erin, Joel, and Eleni), and Rita and Michael loved them all dearly. Kylie also had two children (Lucky and Kaycee), whom Rita and Michael also treated like grandchildren and loved just as much.
I remember being picked up from school by Nanny and Grandad on Mondays and Wednesdays, and most of the time they would cheekily take us to Burger King in Surrey Quays while we waited for Dad to finish work – they regularly cheekily treated us to anything we wanted. During half term, we would go to Hollywood Bowl with them, or to Greenwich Park, where Nanny Rita loved to walk through the flower gardens.
Grandad was a great cook and would sometimes make some of the dishes he loved from Cyprus. Grandad taught me how to make me Koupepia (a.k.a. Dolmades) before he was unable to make them in his later years. Luckily, he passed on his recipe and the family loves to eat food from our Grandad’s heritage.
He also loved slapstick humour, and on an evening visit, my Dad would often put on Laurel and Hardy or the Two Ronnies, and Grandad would be in fits of laughter. Every episode never got old, no matter how many times he had seen it. We put on the same shows when Grandad moved to the home in the last years of his life, and it was lovely to see him in those same fits of laughter even then.
In August 2010, Grandad suffered the loss of his wife, Rita, after 53 years together. She also battled with Alzheimer’s, and Grandad missed her dearly for the 15 years he was without her.
Grandad was then diagnosed with Alzheimer’s around that time, and was eventually moved to Tower Bridge Care Home in November 2023. We are very grateful for the care provided by the team at the home, and Grandad really enjoyed his time there. He regularly told family members to ‘get a room in this hotel’ for themselves because he liked the food and felt content.
In the last month or so of his life, Grandad fell ill with an infection that he struggled to recover from. Along with the complications that come with late-stage Alzheimer’s, this meant that he passed away on 23rd April 2025. It was peaceful, and he had Joe and Ashley by his side, and was asking after his wife.
He was a wonderful man who was born with little, and he built a family with so much. There aren’t enough words to describe how thankful we are for his love, sense of humour, and the backbone that he provided for our family.
We love you Dad, Grandad, Great Grandad, Uncle x
Love,
Ashley, Robert, Luke, Erin, Penny and Axel
Joe, Jane, Joel and Eleni
Kylie, Lucky, and Kaycee