KAVANAGH, Michael Thomas
Passed away peacefully at his home in Allansford surrounded by his family on January 22, 2026.
Aged 74 years
Dearly loved husband of Carmel.
Adored and cherished father, father-in-law and friend of Emma and John, Stella and Jamie, Xavier and Sian, Caitlin and Casey.
Much loved ‘Pa Kav’ of Jack, George, Colton, Violet, and Claire.
A mentor and friend to so many
*****
The Funeral Liturgy for MICHAEL will be held at Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, Selby Rd Warrnambool on FRIDAY (January 30) commencing at 10.30am.
The cortege will leave the church at the conclusion of the Liturgy for the Nirranda Cemetery.
Click this link to view the livestream of Michael's Funeral Liturgy
Funeral notice
Service
Friday January 30, 2026, 10:30am
Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church, 2 Selby Road, East Warrnambool
Get directionsTributes
Leave a tributeTo the Kavanagh Family
I always loved it when Mick would pop in to the Bakery to get his Goldilocks coffee on his way through.
He was always made the time to ask about you and how you were going.
He will be missed by many.
Sending our thoughts to you at this sad time.
Paula & Darryl Laing and the Reeves Bakery team
February 10, 2026 10:57 am
It was evident from the hundreds of people who attended Michael’s funeral service last Friday that he touched many, many lives…..
As the service unfolded it was also very special for those present to witness the love in this beautiful family unit that Michael and Carmel built together.
Our fondest feelings go out to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier, Caitlin and families at this very sad time.
‘Legends’ don’t die – they live on in those they nurtured, loved and helped in their time here on our beautiful planet Earth.February 04, 2026 8:33 pm
Condolences to the Kavanagh family. Mick was a true gentleman. Always enjoyed his company.
February 02, 2026 1:36 pm
Deepest sympathy Carmel and family thinking of you from Mary tudemham(loft)
January 30, 2026 10:59 pm
Deepest sympathy to you Emma ,Carmel and family on your sad loss. Thinking of you all xx
January 30, 2026 10:30 pm
A beautiful and fitting tribute to Michael today. Our thoughts and prayers are with you Carmel,Emma, Stella, Xavier and Caitlin and your families. We have great memories of Michael over many years. Rest peacefully now Michael. Love Frank (Buck) and Shirley Byron.
January 30, 2026 8:43 pm
Sorry for your loss Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier and Caitlyn. Michael's a wonderful man and father to have in your life. Chatting with Michael felt like talking with my own Dad. Sensible guidance and encouraging. I've loved all the times I've been fortunate to enjoy with you and him over the years.
January 30, 2026 12:58 pm
My thoughts with the Kavanagh family on the sad loss of Michael. He was one of nature's true gentlemen. Love Tania Moore
January 30, 2026 11:50 am
To Dear Carmel and family, we are truly sorry to hear of the passing of Michael. A true generous and loyal man who will be missed by many. Chris and Michelle Mayo.
January 30, 2026 9:34 am
Being a Kavanagh, I was often asked whether I was related to Michael, and I was always proud to say that I was his niece. It was clear that he was deeply respected by those who knew him.
Michael was hardworking, wise, and deeply caring. He carried a quiet authority and a wisdom worth listening to. He made you feel both cared for and accountable, and he wasn’t afraid to gently remind you to lift your game. This would always encourage me to strive to do better, and I am grateful for it.
Above all, Michael’s love for his family was unwavering. He was a constant presence and a source of strength for our Kavanagh clan. His pride in those around him was deeply felt, and his absence will be profoundly felt.
Sending all my love to Carmel, Stella, Emma, Xavier, Caitlin and all of our extended family x
January 30, 2026 9:24 am
Sending all our love to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier, Caitlin.
What an awesome husband and father Michael will be remembered as.
Love the from the Inglis and Sangiorgi families.
January 30, 2026 9:20 am
Michael . One of a kind. A gentleman. His kindness. immense generosity and advice over the years will never be forgotten. Through interesting times, Michael and Carmel always had our back Decency and kindness personified.
May you rest in deep peace Michael.January 30, 2026 12:16 am
Carmel Emma Stella xavier Caitlan and Familys .I am thinking of all of you at this sad time Michael you were the most hardest worker i know .Wheneverwe needed you .you were always there .I loved our chatsat the yard.And the phone calls. Owen had the greatest respectfor you.I will miss you .You were a true blue Aussie Carol .
January 29, 2026 9:30 pm
My sincerest condolences to Carmel,Emma,Stella,Xavier and Caitlin.
Michael was always a cheerful hard working loyal man.
he taught me so many skills and always gave guidance to achieving grater goals.
Michael i will always be eternally grateful to have not only known you, but to have the honour of working beside you.
Rest peacefully now , the hard works done.
Respectfully Garry FlemingJanuary 29, 2026 8:13 pm
My thoughts are with you Carmel, emma, stella & caitlin on the sad loss of michael. He was a good , kind man to me and i had lots of respect for him. Love to you all xx
January 29, 2026 8:01 pm
Michael was a realspecial guy. work him for a number of years.
iI would class Michael as True friend who never changed over the years.
My condolences to all your family. Especially to Xavier who continues in Michael footsteps as a honest hard working friendJanuary 29, 2026 6:57 pm
To dear Carmel and family
We are sad to hear of the passing of your Michael
We have very fond memories of your wonderful husband and father, and we are and always have been so grateful for the help he gave us early in our journey into business and the friendship we have shared with you and Mick
Thinking of you
Bruce and Karen HendersonJanuary 29, 2026 6:42 pm
Dear Carmel. Very sad to here the passing of Michael. He was a great friend and so very generous. Our condolences to you and family. Love Ross & Mercedes.
January 29, 2026 6:24 pm
Dear Carmel, Xavier & Emma. Sorry to hear of the Micks passing, he was great person always had time to talk and always helpful nothing was ever a trouble.
The Falk family
January 29, 2026 3:56 pm
Mick was a wonderful neighbour, a true mate, and a friend to so many. He was always up for a great yarn and a good laugh, never holding back and always making those around him feel at ease.
If you ever needed something done, you rang Michael — because he was already onto it, asking for nothing in return. That was just who he was: generous with his time, his energy, and his heart.
Friendships like Mick’s are rare, and we are so grateful to have shared so many long years with him. We will really miss him. Going to Peterborough just won't be the same.
We extend our deepest condolences to Carmel and the family. He was truly one of a kind.
John and Maryanne Vogels
January 29, 2026 9:04 am
To Carmel, Emma, Stella and family. My sincere condolences to you all on the loss of Mick (Michael). Thinking of you all at this difficult time.
He will be with you all always.
Love Tracy Hansen (nee Couch)
xxxxxxxxJanuary 28, 2026 7:05 pm
May your memories of Michael help you through this sad time, thinking of you all with best wishes.
January 28, 2026 4:52 pm
Carmel,Emma,Stella, Xavier,Caitlin,and your families. Sincere condolences from cousin John and all of our families Thank you for supporting music amongst our families. You always showed up! You were a gentleman.
January 28, 2026 3:38 pm
To Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier and Caitlin, we were very sorry to hear of your loss of Michael. Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.
January 28, 2026 1:08 pm
You are in my thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
Sincerely
Enid O’ConnorJanuary 28, 2026 12:27 am
My sincere sympathy to Carmel and family. I just want to say thank you Mick for the things you have done for me over the years. I never forgot the advice you gave me, "John,we go alright because we do good things for people."
January 27, 2026 10:19 pm
Condolences and Deepest Sympathies to the Kavanagh family. Dad (Jack Clifford) would’ve had a beer waiting for you🍻.
Brendan and Carla Clifford
January 27, 2026 8:45 pm
Dear Carmel and family deepest sympathy on the passing of Mick, many great memories from school days,growing up and his plumbing skills. John and Janette Mahony
January 27, 2026 7:30 pm
Thank-you Michael for all your support and help to me over the decades at Saputo. You will live on forever through your children and grandchildren, and what a wonderful family you have.
January 27, 2026 2:07 pm
Sincere condolences to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier and Caitlin and families on the loss of Mick. A wonderful man, hard working, loving, kind and generous. Love from Gavin, Kerryn, Liam, Chelsea, Kaitlyn and Connor Arnott and families.
January 27, 2026 6:52 am
Sad to hear of Micheals passing Carmel. My thoughts are with you and all your family and close friends. Im sure he's flying with the angels and smiling down on you all.
🌿🌿🌿🌻🌻🌻🍾🌿🌿🌿January 26, 2026 3:46 pm
Deepest sympathy Carmel,Emma,Stella,Xavier,Caitlin and families. So sorry to hear of Michael passing, a real gentleman and hard working family man. Rest in peace Michael.
January 26, 2026 2:32 pm
Carmel and family our sincere sympathy to you at this sad time . Good neighbours are hard to find and we found the best brief as it was Michael will be sorely missed a true gentleman. R.i.P Mick. Trevor & June
January 26, 2026 1:11 pm
Sending our love to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier & Caitlin on the very sad loss of Michael. He was a very good friend over many years & I’m so glad to have had coffee times together recently. Our thoughts & prayers are with you all. Linda & Colin Macleod
January 26, 2026 12:24 pm
To Carmel,Emma,Jack,George and families. Deepest sympathy to you all. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time.
Stacey and MalachiJanuary 26, 2026 10:03 am
Deepest Sympathies Carmel and family.may you rest in peace mate.often recall our working days and memories of smiling Mike. Bob Gibbons
January 25, 2026 8:31 pm
Sending my love and condolences to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier, Caitlyn and families.
Gone too soon. Rest in peace Mick.
GoldieJanuary 25, 2026 6:58 pm
A hard working, kind and generous man. Mick will be missed by so many people. Such a wonderful family man and member of the community. You will be sadly missed Mick.Condolences and love to Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier and their families.
Love from Gavin, Kerryn, Liam, Chelsea, Kaitlyn and Connor Arnott and familiesJanuary 25, 2026 5:46 pm
Vale Dear Michael .Condolences Dear Carmel & family for your loss .I loved the banter
we had at the Duck won’t call it for what it really was (2 letters )rest peacefully you will have left a big void in many folks lives .love Shirley Kelly 🌹🌹January 25, 2026 4:46 pm
To Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier, Caitlin and families
Thinking of you all during this sad time.
Much love, The MorrisonsJanuary 25, 2026 12:36 pm
Deepest condolences you all the family.
Michael you where a gentle giant, the most loving caring person i know. You would give the world to anyone who needed it.
RIP Michael forever miss never forgotten.
John and Terresa LindleyJanuary 24, 2026 11:47 pm
To Michael’s greatest delight in his life - his family: Carmel; Emma and John, Stella and Jamie, Xavier and Sian, Caitlin and Casey,
Jack, George, Colton, Violet and Claire, our deepest condolences.
Michael truly was a magnificent man whom we held in the highest regard and had the greatest respect for.
His views on the world were always well thought out, fair, reasonable and honest. It was always a delight to sit and talk with him about anything and everything; below ground; above ground and in the sky; to hear the latest news or retell a story of old. He was such a wealth of knowledge, he knew so much, yet his thirst for knowledge was unquenchable, his face always lit up when a new fact came his way to be squirrelled away for future use in his encyclopedic brain.
The warmth that radiated from him, that hand engulfing handshake, that genuine hug, the sheer joy and delight in his beautiful hearty laugh as his blue eyes twinkled danced and sparkled, the look of absolute contentment when his family were around him, what a pleasure it was to be in his company.
The world has lost one of its greats.
We will miss him immensely.
- Steve Cumming and Colleen JuddJanuary 24, 2026 8:50 pm
Carmel I am so sorry to hear of the sad loss of your beautiful Michael, please accept my deepest sympathy to you and your family.
You are flying high now Michael
Love from Barbara HeazlewoodJanuary 24, 2026 8:44 pm
Thinking of you all, and So much love Carmel, Emma, Stella, xav and cait, going out to you all at this difficult time, mick was great man, a truly hard working inspiring man who was adored by you all x you are in our thoughts x Hallinan fam x
January 24, 2026 8:06 pm
We are so, so sad to hear about Michael's passing. He was such a special man and gave wonderful bear hugs! We were relatively new friends, but he was very dear to us both and we loved him and will miss him. Our condolences to all his family and especially to Carmel - the two of you were such a great team.
January 24, 2026 6:52 pm
So sorry to hear of Mick’s passing Carmel. He and Steve will be up there having a laugh I’m sure. Deepest condolences to the family. X
January 24, 2026 5:32 pm
Deepest sympathies to Carmel ,Emma,Stella,Xavier,Caitlin and families thinking of you all at this sad time we have many happy memories of Michael a special person whom we loved John & Rosemary
January 24, 2026 3:04 pm
To the Kavanagh family Carmel Caitlyn and Casey deepest Sympathy on your loss. Geraldine Peter Melican
January 24, 2026 11:31 am
Sad to hear of Michael's passing , a good , hard-working man ,thinking of you carmel and all the family ,jo and graeme couch x
January 24, 2026 10:54 am
So very sad to see the passing of Michael, working with, and for he and Xavier over many decades has always been a pleasure for me. My sincere condolences to all his much loved family and friends. Leon
January 24, 2026 10:36 am
My deepest condolences to Carmel and family. Mick was a beautiful man that I am grateful to of met and learnt so much from especially when I first started working at Reece plumbing. Always so wise, kind and always had an amazing story to tell.
May he rest in peace, thinking of you all in this hard time. Xx
January 24, 2026 9:56 am
Carmel, Emma, Stella, Xavier, Caitlin and families. Condolences on the sad passing of Mick. A true gentleman, hard working, humble and kind always ready for a friendly chat. MIck will be sorely missed.
January 24, 2026 9:54 am
What a fabulous bloke, hard worker,knowledgeable, always a step ahead. Fond memories of good hearty conversation. Very supportive to many local business's, Definitely a man who will be missed around the entire district.
January 24, 2026 8:33 am
I had the privilege of calling you Uncle Michael and afforded many wonderful holidays and treasured memories for many years.
Carmel, Em, Stel, Xav and Cait may you all feel the love amd warmth of your community wrap there arms around you at this time. Gone way too soon. RIP Michael and may your guidance from above bring peace and comfort to all💜💫January 24, 2026 8:33 am
A truly wonderful Man. Michael taught me so much about work ethic and kindness. We have lost a great Man RIP dear man
January 23, 2026 11:53 pm
Carmel,Emma,Stella,Xavier Caitlin and families.A great family man with a heart of gold.Will miss you Michael.love Kevin @ Trish Douglas.
January 23, 2026 6:52 pm
Condolences to all the family. I didn't see Michael that often, But I always enjoyed a chat, A hard working humble man who should have been enjoying the fruits of his labour. RIP
January 23, 2026 5:02 pm
Carmel,Emma,Stella,Xavier,Caitlin and your families.
Thinking of you all at this sad time.We cherish the good times and will miss our great friend Michael.
Sending our love,
Val & David Sheehan.January 23, 2026 3:15 pm