Michelle Papineau Ebbighausen     Dec. 3, 1946 — May 18, 2004

Michelle Y. EBBIGHAUSEN lost her brave battle with diabetes on May 18, 2004 at the age of 57. She was surrounded by her loving family. Michelle was born to Frank and Genevieve Papineau on Dec. 3, 1946. She was born in L.A. but spent her youth in Missouri with her "Grandma Georgia". As a teen she moved to Edmonds and graduated at Edmonds High in '64. She moved back to L.A. where she met and married Tom Sanders in 1965.

She had lived with diabetes since age 14. She was completely blind by 1984, which makes the following quite remarkable. She was one of the first two blind students to attend the University of Washington, Bothell campus. She graduated from the U.W. in spring 2000 with a BA in Liberal Arts. She was given the Chancellors Award, and also made the Deans List. She was the President of the American Council of the Blind, King County Chapter. She returned later to complete her Masters, but had to quit just one semester short.

She was preceded in death by her beloved dog Gwyn. She is survived by her children, Steven (37), Jeffrey (34), Denise (33); grandchildren, William (10), Emily (5); and her brother, Jerry. A special thanks to Tom Sanders, Cathy Roe and Julie Miller for their love, patience, and support.

Published in The Seattle Times from May 25 to May 26, 2004