A ’loving’ and ’kind’ Manx farmer who was well-respected by many has died at the age of 78.

Hundreds of residents, including the Chief Minister, lined the road from Michael ’Geoffrey’ Quirk’s home of Ballaquine Farm on the coastal road near Peel to Michael parish church to pay their respects on the day of his funeral.

The former chairman of the Isle of Man Young Farmers Federation and Central Young Farmers died in Noble’s Hospital on May 11 following a battle with cancer.

Known as Geoffrey, he leaves behind his wife Lyn, three sons Andrew, Trevor and Stephen, his sister Hilary Kewley and six grandchildren Lewis, Josie, Finley, Callum, Cameron and Ava and father-in-law to Anna, Rhiannon and Kay. Hilary told the Examiner: ’He was a loving brother and was kind and generous.

’He was very, very hard-working all his life.

’From when he was very young he would gather the cattle with his father.

’He was dear to a lot of people and we miss him.’

Trevor said he felt ’quite proud’ seeing so many people lining the road from the farm to the church in tribute to his father. They watched as the funeral cortege, led by a tractor decorated with flowers, went past.

’A few of his friends asked if they could line along the road and we said everyone was welcome to do so,’ he said.

Due to the pandemic restrictions on gatherings, the funeral was a private occasion with two of Geoffrey’s grandchildren and son Stephen reading poems.

Trevor gave the eulogy.

Geoffrey had carried on the family’s legacy of being a sheep and cattle farmer and has been a life-long member of the Manx Royal Agricultural Show. And he had won numerous sheepdog trials on and off-island.

He married his wife Lyn, who is originally from Doncaster, in 1976. Donations in lieu of flowers can be given to the Isle of Man Agricultural Benevolent Trust to Mr J C Faragher, Ballafreer House, Union Mills, IM4 4AB.