Beloved father, brother and son, passed away peacefully on the evening of September 21, 2018. Michael grew up in Greenfield Park, QC and attended Centennial Regional High School (class of 1994), followed by Champlain College Saint-Lambert, Dawson College and finally Concordia University. Michael was an accomplished athlete and coach. His college football team, the Concordia Stingers, made it to the finals of Canadian college football’s Vanier Cup in 1998. Michael went on to coach football at various levels, including his greatest accomplishment as a coach - winning the Vanier Cup with the Queen’s University Golden Gaels in 2009. Football was Michael’s passion and he loved every moment he spent on the field.
Michael was diagnosed with a rare form of A.L.S. and dementia in July 2017. Michael stayed strong and battled the debilitating disease as long as he could, but passed peacefully in the presence of his loved ones on Friday night.
Michael leaves behind his daughter Ella Grace (born September 20, 2016), along with his partner Ashley (McCaffrey), his parents David and Alison Stagg (nee Thompson), his brothers Robert (Ashley Johnson) and Christopher (Nadia Gilbert), his nephews (Joshua and Benjamin) and the many friends he made along the way. A memorial will be organized by Michael’s family in the weeks to come. Information will be made available online through Michael’s social media page and through close friends and family. Michael’s family would also like to extend its deepest thanks to the doctors, nurses and staff of the CHSLD Champlain (Brossard) for the amazing care and love they showed to Michael in his time there. In lieu of flowers at the eventual memorial, our family is hoping to collect funds for a donation to either the ALS Society of Quebec or a trust for Michael’s daughter Ella. More information to come
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