George Michel

07/12/2006

George Michel, 75, of Lenox Road died yesterday morning at Berkshire Medical Center after a long illness. Born in Worms, Germany, on Feb. 26, 1931, son of Karl and Carry Sommer Michel, he came to the United States in 1936 with his family to escape religious persecution in Nazi Germany. He attended schools in New York and received both his bachelor's degree and MBA degree from New York University. Mr. Michel served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War from 1951-53. He was employed for many years in the airline industry in New York and was a marketing and advertising manager for SAS and later TWA Airlines, retiring several years ago. He was a former member of the Stockbridge-West Stockbridge Kiwanis Club and enjoyed cooking for the Salvation Army in Pittsfield on Saturday evenings. He enjoyed playing bridge and attending Tanglewood concerts. Mr. Michel and his wife, the former Sandy Hudesman, were married in New York on April 1, 1979. They came to West Stockbridge to make their home following their retirement in 1990. Besides his wife of West Stockbridge, he leaves two sons, Todd Michel of Patterson, N.Y. and Steven Salzman of Houston, Texas; three daughters, Lori Michel of Long Island, N.Y., Randi Rifkin of Valhalla, N.Y., and Susan Weisler of Somers, N.Y., and seven grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A graveside funeral service for the friends and family of Mr. George Michel, who died Wednesday, July 12, 2006, will be held Friday, July 14, at 3 p.m. at West Stockbridge Town Cemetery, where family friend Richard Hayes will officiate. A memorial celebration at the family home in West Stockbridge will be held at a time to be announced. The omission of flowers is requested and those who wish to may make donations in his memory to Doctors Without Borders in care of ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240. George leaves his beloved grandchildren Madison and Jordyn Rifkin, Lea Bogner and Sydney Weisler, Joel and Michael Salzman, and Seth Michel, his sons-in-law Steven Rifkin and Carey Weisler, daughters-in-law Bridget Salzman and Roxanne Michel, and special friends Joanne Lahey, Ruth Doherty, Deborah Kelly, the Culver family, James Cirillo and Charles Agar. George will always be remembered as a quiet, gentle man who loved the peace and tranquility of the Berkshires.

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