Michelle's Obituary April 2nd 2023
Michelle Lisa Askenazi, 48, of North Bend, Washington passed away peacefully of cancer-related complications on March 26th, 2023.
Michelle was born on May 27th, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois to Rubye and Marc Askenazi. Michelle’s father, Marc, immigrated to the United States in 1963 from Egypt via France. Michelle’s mother, Rubye, was originally from Washington/North Dakota. Michelle was proud of her heritage and family history and continued to honor that legacy by supporting the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), the organization that sponsored and supported her family through the immigration process.
The family moved to Plano, Texas in 1988 where Michelle attended Plano Senior High School, graduating in 1992. Her studies continued at Collin Community College where she pursued an undergraduate degree focusing on ceramics, art and design. In 1996, she relocated to Denton, TX where she attended the University of North Texas and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology.
After over ten years in North Texas and Austin, Michelle decided it was time for a change and relocated to Seattle in 2011, where she made many new connections, forged close friendships and met her partner, Wesley Miller.
Michelle loved to promote the arts and had a profound affection for visual art, music, and literature. She always had a song to share or book to lend to friends, family, and acquaintances. She collaborated on projects in her community: promoting local poets, artists and makers. Michelle had a weekly practice of shared art projects with friends and family creating paintings, drawings and ceramic pieces shared across the country.
As a professional artist, Michelle specialized in the mediums of ceramics, illustration, paint, and graphic design. She established herself as a skilled graphic designer working at Whole Foods Market, NutPods and Microsoft. She also had an in-demand freelance practice, where she took on creative projects for independent small businesses and start-ups.
Michelle had a deep passion for domestic and international travel and enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest with Wesley, visiting friends and family across North America, and seeking out new adventures abroad. She coupled that passion with her dedication to public service and journeyed to Ghana and Thailand to service communities in need.
Michelle is survived by her partner Wesley Miller, cousin Dov, parents Marc and Rubye, brother Richard, and faithful canine companions Thelonious and Monkey. She had the profound ability to create connections and lifelong friendships everywhere she went: her empathic nature, radiant smile, and infectious laughter lit up the world and will be missed.
Michelle’s loved ones has requested not to receive flowers, but instead honor her memory by donating to one of the following charities:
The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) https://act.hias.org/page/6048/donate/1
Originally set up by Jews to help fellow Jews for reasons of religious imperative and communal solidarity, HIAS in the 2020s is a multi-continent, multi-pronged humanitarian aid and advocacy organization with thousands of employees dedicated to helping forcibly displaced persons around the world in keeping with the organization’s Jewish ethical roots.
Save The Music is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids, schools, and communities realize their full potential through the power of making music.
Coyote Central https://coyotecentral.org/give
Since its founding in 1986, Coyote Central has built the creativity and self-awareness of over 17,000 middle-school youth of diverse races, economic backgrounds, family situations, and neighborhoods. Coyote is unique among Seattle nonprofits in focusing exclusively on early adolescence, when kids are first starting to figure out who they are and what they want to do in the world. As they learn the skills and tools of creative mediums, they realize their own capabilities and passions. Coyote teaching artists, who are all professionals in their field, model the dedication and perseverance of their creative professions and give youth a sense of what it means to make a career of creativity.
826 National https://826national.org/donate/
826 National is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting students and educators in youth writing education. We believe that every student in every classroom should have the access to the power and joy of writing, no matter what classroom they sit in. At 826 National, we further the writing education landscape by creating more access to better writing education and more platforms to amplify student voices.
The American Cancer Society https://donate.cancer.org/
The American Cancer Society is a nationwide voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than 250 Regional offices throughout the United States.
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