"I would not exchange the sorrows of my heart for the joys of the multitude. And I would not have tears that sadness makes to flow from my every part turn to laughter. I would that my life remain a tear and a smile." - Kahlil Gibran
Michele was a truly awesome person with a lot of potential. She had gone to college in Virginia, and then, through a military scholarship, attended UAB School of Medicine. In January 2005,she was halfway through her sencond year and was home for winter break. When she was driving back to Birmingham to resume school she was in a car accident and hit a tree. I still see her family occasionally and they are doing as well as expected. I know there are many of us who knew her well and miss her as much as I do.
I think we all have incredible memories of Michele. She was just an incredible person who had or made fun whereever she went. I will never forget Michele's beautiful voice. One of my favorite memories is of Michele in the back seat of my red Honda Prelude singing "Welcome to the Jungle" opera style. Wendy and I laughed for hours. I still hear her singing that song and chuckle.
I have countless fun memories with Michele, but in particular, I recall all the fun times at her house up on the hill, her family always offering a warm welcome. I especially remember a day at Michele's house with all the gang during that spectacular 5-day snow fest we had. All of us, I know, enjoyed Michele's gentle and fun-loving spirit, and I still think about her often to this day.
In honor of Michele, her mother, Margaret, shared a few thoughts about Michele’s high school and college days.
Making friends in Huntsville “Michele was in her sophomore year in high school in St. Louis, and her father Nick came home and told her there had been a shakeup at Emerson Electric and he was going to job hunt. We moved to Huntsville the summer before her junior year, and I got calls from her friends’ mothers in St. Louis who said, ‘Please leave her here. We love her, and she’s no problem.’ But I didn’t want to lose two years of being with her. But I promised her that I would take her back to St. Louis each spring break and fall break. So, I did it, but during the fall break of her senior year she said, ‘I don’t need to go back; my best friends are right here.’ And really, these kids here—she had more fun in the two years here, and more personal involvement with friends than in the 10 years she was in St. Louis.”
Favorite teacher at Huntsville High “She loved VT. She thought he was great. And one of the reasons is he let them do Lil’ Abner. She loved plays, which she did in St. Louis, and even if she didn’t make the cast, she would be in the back painting scenery. She told me in the 9th grade, ‘One reason I’m doing it, Mom, is we get to go to the cast party.’ That was her thinking. She wasn’t terribly upset that she didn’t get the part; she just wanted to be there.”
Michele’s many interests “She had so many interests, it’s hard to name them all. She loved horses, and would take lessons and ride in Hampton Cove. And she would visit her sister Sandra at the University of Missouri, and they had access to the stables next door. Michele would also go with Sandra and my son-in-law Kent to SCUBA dive in the Keys. When she was at Birmingham Southern she asked me if she could take SCUBA diving classes, and I found out much later about her doing a night dive.
“One thing I remember is a time when she had done something on a Saturday, and when she was home the next day she said to me, ‘I have something to tell you that I didn’t tell you before.’ And I said, ‘What was that?’ And she said, ‘I went rappelling.’” (Author’s note: I have to confess that I was among the group that snuck her into Three Caves to teach her to rappel.) “She wanted to go, don’t get me wrong. But she knew if she had said to me, ‘Marcus wants me to go rappelling,’ I would have said uh uh, you’re not gonna do that. And she said, ‘Mom, that’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.’
Working on a medical degree “When Michele passed away on January 2, 1995, she was into her second year of medical school. She had gotten a four-year, full-paid Air Force medical school scholarship. At the time she talked about eventually going into pediatrics. She was very fond of children, and I think that’s why she leaned that way. All my girls started babysitting at a very young age. All the neighbors wanted Michele to baby sit because she would play games with the children, but when she said, ‘It’s 8 o’clock, you’re going to bed,’ there was no changing it. She was very firm.”
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Michelle Moye (Dobo)
Michele was a truly awesome person with a lot of potential. She had gone to college in Virginia, and then, through a military scholarship, attended UAB School of Medicine. In January 2005,she was halfway through her sencond year and was home for winter break. When she was driving back to Birmingham to resume school she was in a car accident and hit a tree. I still see her family occasionally and they are doing as well as expected. I know there are many of us who knew her well and miss her as much as I do.Keri Laurine (White)
I think we all have incredible memories of Michele. She was just an incredible person who had or made fun whereever she went. I will never forget Michele's beautiful voice. One of my favorite memories is of Michele in the back seat of my red Honda Prelude singing "Welcome to the Jungle" opera style. Wendy and I laughed for hours. I still hear her singing that song and chuckle.Lisa Harper (Savoie)
I have countless fun memories with Michele, but in particular, I recall all the fun times at her house up on the hill, her family always offering a warm welcome. I especially remember a day at Michele's house with all the gang during that spectacular 5-day snow fest we had. All of us, I know, enjoyed Michele's gentle and fun-loving spirit, and I still think about her often to this day.Marcus Woolf
In honor of Michele, her mother, Margaret, shared a few thoughts about Michele’s high school and college days.Making friends in Huntsville
“Michele was in her sophomore year in high school in St. Louis, and her father Nick came home and told her there had been a shakeup at Emerson Electric and he was going to job hunt. We moved to Huntsville the summer before her junior year, and I got calls from her friends’ mothers in St. Louis who said, ‘Please leave her here. We love her, and she’s no problem.’ But I didn’t want to lose two years of being with her. But I promised her that I would take her back to St. Louis each spring break and fall break. So, I did it, but during the fall break of her senior year she said, ‘I don’t need to go back; my best friends are right here.’ And really, these kids here—she had more fun in the two years here, and more personal involvement with friends than in the 10 years she was in St. Louis.”
Favorite teacher at Huntsville High
“She loved VT. She thought he was great. And one of the reasons is he let them do Lil’ Abner. She loved plays, which she did in St. Louis, and even if she didn’t make the cast, she would be in the back painting scenery. She told me in the 9th grade, ‘One reason I’m doing it, Mom, is we get to go to the cast party.’ That was her thinking. She wasn’t terribly upset that she didn’t get the part; she just wanted to be there.”
Michele’s many interests
“She had so many interests, it’s hard to name them all. She loved horses, and would take lessons and ride in Hampton Cove. And she would visit her sister Sandra at the University of Missouri, and they had access to the stables next door. Michele would also go with Sandra and my son-in-law Kent to SCUBA dive in the Keys. When she was at Birmingham Southern she asked me if she could take SCUBA diving classes, and I found out much later about her doing a night dive.
“One thing I remember is a time when she had done something on a Saturday, and when she was home the next day she said to me, ‘I have something to tell you that I didn’t tell you before.’ And I said, ‘What was that?’ And she said, ‘I went rappelling.’” (Author’s note: I have to confess that I was among the group that snuck her into Three Caves to teach her to rappel.) “She wanted to go, don’t get me wrong. But she knew if she had said to me, ‘Marcus wants me to go rappelling,’ I would have said uh uh, you’re not gonna do that. And she said, ‘Mom, that’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time.’
Working on a medical degree
“When Michele passed away on January 2, 1995, she was into her second year of medical school. She had gotten a four-year, full-paid Air Force medical school scholarship. At the time she talked about eventually going into pediatrics. She was very fond of children, and I think that’s why she leaned that way. All my girls started babysitting at a very young age. All the neighbors wanted Michele to baby sit because she would play games with the children, but when she said, ‘It’s 8 o’clock, you’re going to bed,’ there was no changing it. She was very firm.”