Tad Michel

Tad Michel died February 21, 2020 at home with his wife, Pamela and his favorite cat Ginger at his side.

Born in a free and independent Poland, on March 22, 1926 and displaced by the occupation of Poland at the end of WW II, Tad emigrated to Australia in 1948 where he graduated from the University of Melbourne. He served as an executive with the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne and was invited to do the same for the 1960 Olympics in Squaw Valley.

He went on to serve as general manager for several exclusive, privately-owned resort hotels including Timberline Lodge in Oregon, The Sugarbush Inn in Vermont and Biras Creek and Tradewinds in the British Virgin Islands. While at Timberline Lodge, he worked with the filming crew of “The Shining” and was flown to London as a consultant to Stanley Kubrick. During his hotel career he mentored many young hotel management executives and chefs who remain “family” to this day.

Upon retirement to New Bern in 1987, he was a charter member of SCORE, delivered sailboats, taught celestial navigation, single-handed his Nor’Sea 27, “Rusalka”, throughout Eastern North Carolina, taught hotel management in Vladivostok, Russia with the International Executive Service Corp, was a consultant to Orbis Hotels in Poland and served on the City of New Bern’s Planning Board.

Tad is survived by his wife Pamela, of the home, his brother Stefan of Torun, Poland and sister Irena of Gdansk, Poland as well as several nephews and nieces residing in Poland. A Catholic Mass will be celebrated at Saint James Church in Torun’, Poland at a later date and he will be buried in the family plot in Torun’, Poland.

Visitation and a celebration of Tad’s life will be held at the home at 910 Dickinson Court, New Bern from 4 to 8 pm on February 29th, 2020.

In lieu of flowers, his wife Pamela suggests memorials be made to the Pals for Paws of New Bern, Public Radio East, Drs. Without Borders or a charity of your choosing.