kristian lucas Obituary, Death – Elisa Michel, a Montclair State University student, passed away. On the outside, it was always easy to see how precious Elisa’s soul was. This young woman had an infectious vitality and an unending love of life. She resembled a little yet powerful pocket rocket. She was sophisticated beyond her years and had a diverse variety of interests, including dancing, music, literature, and travel.
She explored her interests and pastimes, becoming knowledgeable about subjects like dancing and Arabic. She consistently earned the Dean’s List at her school since she worked very hard and was an excellent student. She usually paid for her studies with the money she earned from her part-time job. Elisa just visited Paris for scholastic reasons and intended to see the rest of the world afterward.
These are all characteristics of an amazing girl. Yet those who are familiar with Elisa well know that her talents are just the beginning. Although Elisa accomplished many remarkable things in her brief life, what counts most is how she made you feel about yourself. Everyone who knew Elisa or had the opportunity to meet her can witness the fact that she was able to see the promise in everyone’s heart.
You may have your own stories and memories of this, but for our branch of the family in particular, the connections she was able to forge after being away for so long were remarkable and helped her establish solid roots within the Michel family. We will miss her a lot since she made us so happy every day. I hate to inform you that the only chance I ever had to meet Elisa was when I was still a very little child and both she and Carla were still fairly young.
As I turned to face their mother, I recalled thinking, “Wow, this beautiful woman has terrific kids.” Due to a variety of factors, attempts to get together in person when Elisa came into our lives never happened. We are so far apart, yet we are also so near, as our wonderful Abuelita Miriam used to say regarding the distance between my family in the UK and our relatives in the Dominican Republic.