Michelle was born on March 13, 1974, and from the beginning, made it pretty clear she wasn’t here to live a boring life.

She was a woman of great intellect, great faith, and an even greater heart. Michelle earned her master’s degree, and education was never simply a personal accomplishment to her – it was a calling. She believed education could change the trajectory of a person’s life and open doors that might otherwise remain closed.

As a substitute teacher, she poured that belief into the students she served, with a particular passion for helping minority communities understand that education could be a pathway to something different to opportunity, stability, and a better life. Her desire to serve others even led her to work in the city’s housing department, where she helped people in need get safe and stable housing.

Her love for people was fueled by her love for God. She believed that if you had the ability to help someone, you should, and Michelle rarely needed much convincing to jump in and help.

She leaves behind her beloved husband, Kenneth Burleson, and the life they built together, including more dogs than most people would consider reasonable. Through Kenneth, she was blessed with two more very special people to love, and that relationship became another beautiful gift in her life.

And then there were the nieces and nephews (an impressive number of them) who knew her as the aunt who loved fiercely, spoiled generously, showed up faithfully, and probably encouraged a little mischief along the way.

Michelle was brilliant, hilarious, stubborn, fiercely loyal, and larger than life.

She loved God, she loved people, and she believed both were worth showing up for.

We find comfort knowing she has been welcomed home and reunited with her mother and father in Heaven.

She was truly one of a kind.

And, Lord knows, she will be missed.