Michael Kevin Tandy, July 31, 1942 – Feb. 5, 2021
Michael Kevin Tandy passed away unexpectedly at home in Berkeley, on Feb. 5, 2021. He was 78.
Michael was born on July 31, 1942, to W. Lou and Mary Lucille Tandy, both educators, in Eureka, Illinois.
Michael spent his childhood in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin as his father took various teaching positions as a professor of consumer economics. Michael graduated from Ohio State with a degree in education and taught high school for a short time before attending law school at UC Berkeley. He graduated from Berkeley Law with a J.D. in 1969 and worked as a deputy district attorney for Alameda County before deciding to change careers. His knowledge of cars led him to open a car repair business — Michael’s Shop — which he ran successfully for many years. He found satisfaction in diagnosing and fixing problems and helping people.
On July 7, 1983, he and Susan met and it was the beginning of a 37-year relationship in which they learned from each other while also giving each other room to be themselves and develop their own interests. They both often said that they were lucky to have found each other.
Michael loved camping and built a camper equipped with solar panels to run a small refrigerator and lights. This permitted longer stays in remote and beautiful areas, especially the high desert of the eastern Sierras. He and Susan experienced many wild and beautiful places in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona.
He also appreciated the writings of J. Krishnamurti, enjoyed woodworking, Louis L’Amour westerns, music from Chuck Berry to Bach and movies of all kinds. He enjoyed interacting with the many cats that found a home with him and Susan, making up silly songs to sing to those who appreciated his musical offerings.
He is survived by his sister, Lucy Friedman; niece, Cindy Costello; nephew, Ben Friedman; and partner, Susan Ann Quan. He also leaves behind aunts and cousins in Indiana, Florida and southern California.
We, your family and friends, will always keep you in our hearts – we love you and miss you.