Sister Laura Michels, Chaplain to the stars, RIP
My dear aunt and Godmother Sister Laura Michels, known by myself and and my family as Aunt Janice, has gone to heaven after a extended battle with brain tumors and complications.
http://www.gozags.com/genrel/020818aaa.html
http://www.zagsonline.org/s/829/17-match/index.aspx?sid=829&gid=1&pgid=5821
Janice was one of my favorite people in the world, and served as chaplain for the Gonzaga's Mens Baseball team as well as the Girls Basketball team. She spent a number of years as a principle and teacher in Seattle area Catholic Parochial schools like St. Mary's in the Seattle Central District and Immaculate Conception in Everett. We loved to talk sports and she was a great Mariner enthusiast. Since she also loved my writing, she came to this site often to see what I had to say. She also loved reading about the Mariner prospects and players who were coming up from the Gonzaga program, and would be very interested in what Doc and us would say about their chances.
The players loved her dearly, as well as the hundreds of students who where touched by her love, laughter and insight. As I went to the hospice to say my final goodbyes a number of young men from the baseball team did as well. Aunt Janice always made it a point to write a poem to read along with the prayers she would lead in pre-game meetings. The players laughed when I brought this up and spoke of how much these prayers meant to them and the coaching staff. I told here once I was getting jealous of her players and wanted a poem as well. She obliged and I'll always treasure it.
I just wanted the community here to know that this remarkable woman was a fan of this site, and appreciated hearing about how the Marco Gonzaleses and Cody Martins of the Mariner world would fare in the big leagues, now that they were no longer under her direct spiritual care.
- Rick Michels