Monday, March 14, 2022
Beautiful classic picture of Michele. So sad, so surreal to see this obituary. While reading it last night I was compelled to check how many New York City blocks there are in a mile. When I was a freshman at Manhattanville College (Westchester County outside NYC) I was invited into "the City" by my brother Devy's new Girlfriend (with a capital "G"). She met me at Grand Central Station, and we started to walk down Fifth Avenue to see the sights, and we kept walking at a fast clip (it was very cold) when I began to realize that Michele was not the type to take the subway or the train if it wasn't too far to walk. After walking for at least five miles (at least) I think we did get on the bus or metro to get to Seaman Avenue where we walked up four flights of stairs to her family's apartment. (No wonder Michele was physically fit!). During the dinner prepared by either Michele or her Mother Kathleen, or both, a bit of spaghetti sauce landed on my sweater, and within seconds I found myself stripped to my slip while Mrs. Reilly explained that a stain like that needed to be treated immediately; my sweater was already being washed in the sink. Michele was a lot like her Mother, a perfectionist, with not a lazy bone in her body. Michele's obituary failed to mention that while she was managing a household of five young children and a husband, and a home day-care where her kids "were loved all day", Michele was the caregiver to my Mother, her mother-in-law Simone Creech for well over a decade, which allowed my Mother to live at home for many more years than would otherwise have been possible. We are indebted to her. Rest in peace Michele. You deserved to have many more years of the joys of "retirement" and watching your grandchildren grow up.
