Micheal James Blackwell

Micheal was born in Brisbane, Australia to Alan and Helen Blackwell. He was the middle of three children; David, the oldest and Amanda, the youngest. He truly embraced this middle-child role and is remembered as quite often in trouble for something or other. His mischievousness, energy and love of adventure pushed him to excel in sports from a very young age and that turned into a lifelong passion for playing and teaching.

He joined the Australian Army after graduating high school and served as a bomb tech in both Afghanistan and Somalia. Following his time in the Army, he lived and worked in Newcastle and Brisbane where he began to skate and eventually joined the Australian Ice Hockey League. He played hard and loved putting other players into the boards.

Micheal came to the United States and played hockey in Fort Worth, Austin, and North Carolina. During the 2004 NHL lockout, he had fun skating with many Dallas Stars, including Brodeur and Turco, from one of which he took a slap shot to the face which left a scar. True to form, he was sad to see that badge-of-honor scar fade over the years.

In 2007, he met Birgitte and although he was about to return to Australia, they both knew that wasn’t the end. For the next 14 months, the two “dated” long distance. She flew to Australia in June of 2008 where they were married in Hervey Bay surrounded by his family. The couple returned to Texas to form their own family with her two children, Keely and Braxton.

Micheal immediately fell in love with his new children and from the very start was a devoted and wonderful parent. He was the silly one in the family and would often tuck the kids in only to rile them up again! He taught them both to ice skate and coached Braxton in soccer and lacrosse. The three loved to turn up the music so loud in the car all while singing at the top of their lungs. He loved to embarrass them as often as possible in public by dancing or just acting...well, like “Micheal”.

Keely has this to say about him, “Micheal wasn’t afraid to express himself, whether it was dancing like no one was watching or singing like no one’s business. He never lost his personality for anyone or anything.

The little memories...him always calling me smelly, refusing to high five my mom but always high fiving me, my midnight kiss to him since I never went to sleep, and so many more.

One of my favorite memories was when Micheal told me that for my sixteenth birthday I could flip him off. Papa gave me a little finger puppet for the occasion and everything. When the day finally came, I was too much of a chicken to do it. Weeks after that I still felt too awkward to do it, but finally one day I did it. I can’t remember the occasion, but from then on, I would flip him off every time he was making fun of me or being flat out stupid.

Micheal taught me to be who I am and not care who’s watching. He taught me to be outgoing and step out of my comfort zone, and I will never forget that.”

Micheal and Braxton spent a lot of time in the car together to and from school. Braxton says his favorite thing was to listen to the, “2nd Date Update”. Micheal would give Braxton dating advice and they would laugh and bond over the silly stories being told on the radio. When Micheal took up hunting, Braxton says he would drive around with his windows down, blowing on his elk whistle, acting like there were strange noises coming from other cars and looking at people. They did a lot of laughing together and listened to a lot of music. Micheal recently became addicted to country music to the shock of his family and they began calling him an Australian Cowboy.

Micheal was not only a devoted father to Keely and Braxton, but a loving and strong husband who helped Birgitte through many hard times and losses. He was a sounding board for her, he was never, ever angry, and loved her for exactly who she is. He drove her crazy with his numerous passions but brought laughter and kept her balanced. They loved to watch movies and TV together. The whole family especially loved The Big Bang Theory which would cause him to laugh so loudly they would miss the next joke and have to rewind. Laughter came easily to Micheal.

Micheal loved to travel, it was a priority to get away and spend time together. They loved going on different adventures; Florida, the River House, Washington, D.C., Branson, and last summer back to Australia… a trip of a lifetime. The kids had never been, and he was so anxious to share his culture and love of Australia with them. During the three weeks there, he taught them how to eat a sausage roll properly, showed them his childhood homes and school, and shared his deep love for his home country with them. It was a time to meet and cherish family they had longed to meet. Australia together was a time they will never forget.

Micheal took life by the horns and ran: he raced rally cars, went free diving, scuba diving, did stunt work, was an avid hunter, played cricket for Australia’s national team, coached and played soccer, golf, professional hockey in Australia and minor league in the U.S. Additionally, he ran triathlons, performed martial arts, had a photography business, coached just about every sport possible, refereed football and hockey, and had a hunting YouTube channel. No one person could have played all the sports he played, gone all the places he went, and experienced this much in life… but he did. He shoved three lifetimes into half of one.

Micheal was the most devoted and fierce friend you could find. He was outgoing, but quiet and private. He LOVED coaching soccer, lacrosse, hockey and golf…. especially coaching kids. He came home every day from Topgolf so proud of the accomplishments of his “kids” at work, as if they were his own. He was more than their coach and mentor; they were family to him. Many times, he would put aside his own stress in life to reach out to someone who needed a friend. He was the drop everything to play a round of golf or send a text at just the right time kind of guy. He was a light to so many people.

Micheal’s latest passion was hunting. He became an expert in all things related to air rifles, crossbows, and rifles. Although you couldn’t get him up in the morning for anything, he would happily get out of bed at 4 a.m. to go hunting in freezing temperatures. He spent countless hours sitting in deer blinds, not seeing a single deer or squirrel, and it became his sanctuary. He loved sharing his hunting on YouTube and with his friends.

He lived and breathed hockey! He played until his body just couldn’t keep up, even mentioning in the last few years he was going to try and skate with the Allen Americans for their training camp. He continued to get on the ice taking on private lessons and especially referring league games. His passion for the game and the attention to details about the “rules” was something he’s been known for all over the DFW area. His calm demeanor and sarcastic responses caused players to either love him or fire them up; which just got them penalties or ejected from the game. He LOVED every minute of being a part of the hockey community and all those involved.

Micheal’s life was an example of passion, diligence, love and laughter.

He is survived by his loving wife Birgitte Blackwell; children Keely and Braxton Anders; parents Alan and Helen Blackwell of Australia; brother David Blackwell and his wife Sally of Australia; sister Amanda Griffin and her husband Shane of Australia; niece Cara Douglas of Australia; mother and father in law Denham and Suzie Clements of Albuquerque, New Mexico; father and mother in law Mogens Hansen and his wife UllaVanToornburg; sister in law Trine Hansen.

A memorial service to celebrate Micheal’s life will be held Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 2:00 P.M. at Allen Family Funeral Options.

If desired, contributions may be made in Micheal's name to the Wounded Warrior Project at 855.448.3997 or Wounded Warrior Project
PO Box 758517,Topeka, Kansas 66675-8517.