- Date Of Birth: July 2, 1937
- Date Of Death: October 27, 2022
- State: Michigan
Michelle Marie Lumbert, age 85, passed away on Thursday, October 27, 2022 at SKLD (formerly Heartland) in Ionia. Michelle was born on July 2, 1937 in Orbigny, Indre-et-Loire, France to Andre and Andrée (Genileau) Mercier. She was preceded in death by both her parents and one brother, Bernard Mercier. She was also preceded in death by her longtime companion, husband, Pierre Blanquet.
Michelle lived on Eaton Highway in Mulliken for the majority of her life. Her neighbors became the family she left behind in France. She was meticulous about her yard.
She loved to travel everywhere and made many trips back to France to see her family. They were always an important part of her life and she never lost her French roots.
Michelle was an amazing mix of personality, emotions and had an infectious sense of humor. She loved her grandkids and was their Mémé.
Michelle loved music and dancing. During her 16-year stay at SKLD, though she was wheel-chair bound, she always had her radio playing and at times her “girls” would come in and have little dance parties for her. The people who cared for her there were her second family. She built lasting relationships with them over the years. She tacked on a sense of ownership to her favorites by referring to them as “My Holly” or “My Robin”. She loved them and their families as her own. We cannot begin to express how much we appreciate the love she received there.
She is survived by her three daughters, Valerie “Barbara” (Joe Pline) Hodges, Natalie (Scott) Spitzley, Caroline (Rick) VanHouten; grandchildren Corey Hodges, Shane Hodges, Victoria (Zach) Smith, Jill (Tim) Fischer, Zach Spitzley, Bailey VanHouten, Rachel VanHouten; and great-grandsons, Abel Smith and Tripp Fischer; sister-in-law, Rolande Mercier of Orleans, France; and several nieces and nephews both in France and locally.
