Tributes flood in for 'adored' Teesside pub boss Mick who 'lived and breathed' job for over 40 years

Tributes have flooded in for a well-loved Teesside pub boss who "lived and breathed" his job for over four decades.

Mick Armstrong, former landlord of The Gables in Coulby Newham and the now-closed Red Rose in Linthorpe village, sadly died on March 22, following a short illness. Those closest to the 84-year-old say there was "no one else like him", and are this week remembering him for being a "legend" of the Middlesbrough pub scene.

His son Neil, who now works in the hospitality industry following in his dad's footsteps, has paid tribute to grandad-of-two Mick, whose funeral took place on Monday. "He would do anything for anyone, everyone loved him," the 54-year-old pub manager said.

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"He was just a genuine guy who wasn't judgemental in any way. He ran pubs for 40-odd years, and it all started when I was one year old at The Globe, where the Asda is now in South Bank."

"Adored" Mick was brought up in Middlesbrough, over the border on Feversham Street. Later in life, alongside wife Eileen, he moved around the town depending on where the next pub venture took him. Neil continued: "He just loved the people. He was a massive people person and he had a huge impact on the community he was in."

After working in South Bank, Mick enjoyed five years looking after The Zetland in Middlesbrough until moving to the Red Rose pub, where he remained for 10 years until 1985. The popular venue later went on to call last orders back in 2008 and then became home to the family-run Rose Funeral Directors.

And, in a very appropriate send-off, the funeral directors where he once served up pints to the Linthorpe community were tasked with organising his funeral. Neil explained: "He will be laid to rest in the old bar of the Red Rose, it's quite fitting."

But the Red Rose wasn't Mick's final hurrah in his lengthy career - he then took on The Gables, in Coulby Newham, his final pub before retirement. Neil said his dad stayed there until between 2008 and 2010.

Neil admitted that The Gables - which only recently closed due to "exasperating rising costs" - was Mick's favourite pub over his decades-long career. "It was his life," he explained. "He never had a day off, and he just lived and breathed it. He was there for so long. It was like a home for him."

Mick had such an impact on the community during his time at The Gables that his funeral procession passed by the pub on Monday where a "Rest in Peace Mick" banner alongside a photo was hung proudly over its front. A service then followed at St Bede's Chapel, at Teesside Crematorium, at 1.30pm.

Neil now lives in Acklam and has two children, Leo, 17, and Ella, 14. He continues to enjoy a successful career in hospitality of his own, having worked at various places across the region including The Cornerstone, Starters, and the Three Rivers in Ingleby Barwick. He is now a manager at the Tipsy Cow on Acklam Road.

When the news of Mick's passing was announced on Facebook, tributes flooded in to the "best landlord there ever was and ever will be." One person said: "You will be sadly missed Mick and will treasure the memories I have of you. Very honoured to have known you."

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