Michaela Anne Cahillane

NORTHAMPTON - Michaela Anne Cahillane, 46, of Northampton, died peacefully July 24, 2018. She is the daughter of Robert P. Cahillane and Michaela J. (Kiley) Cahillane of Northampton. She graduated from Smith College in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in French.
A devoted daughter, sister, niece, cousin, aunt, best friend, girlfriend and Godmother, Michaela truly believed in the strong bonds of family and friends, whom she kept close through her lifelong connections in Northampton and around the world. She will be forever missed by so many.
Michaela became a world-traveler of continents and countries in her twenties and thirties. She felt most at home when she was in London; Northampton, U.K.; and Alba, Italy, where she lived, worked and visited too many times to count. An avid student and reader of classic books, writer, poet and linguist, she penned poems and other musings, which she would often recite with great emotion by heart to family and friends. She was fluent in Italian, French, and Spanish. Michaela loved classical music, played the violin and often shared her favorite musical pieces with family and friends.
Michaela leveraged her unique life experience in her professional career around the globe. She was a dedicated and hard-working woman. Over the years, she worked for the Center for Economic Policy Research in London and Edward Elgar Publishing and Microcal Software in Northampton, and also wrote a monthly column for The Daily Hampshire Gazette. She previously co-owned Webmeets.com Event Management, LLP with Robert Clark of England. She adored her Godchild, Emily Clark, and the Clark family. Most recently, Michaela did some of her best work in the position of Office Administrator with Amherst South Congregational Church in Amherst, where she provided business and administrative support services to a team and congregation that she loved.
Besides her parents, Michaela is survived by a sister, Christina J. Cahillane of Washington, DC, and brothers William J. Cahillane, wife Siobhan (McCarthy) Cahillane, and nephew Finbar of Oakton, Virginia; Edward P. Cahillane, wife Amy (Prescott) Cahillane and nephew Maxwell of Florence; and Anthony S. Cahillane of Northampton. She was predeceased by her baby brother, James B. Cahillane. She was the twentieth born of the Cahillane Family clan's twenty-three first cousins and the grandchild of James Cahillane, a former mayor of Northampton.
Michaela was the beloved niece of George D. Pappas and Jude M. (Kiley) Pappas of Snellville, Georgia; Manuel and Kathy Fernandez of Northport, New York; James and Maureen Cahillane of Williamsburg; Stephen and Rita Cahillane of Holyoke; Maureen Lee of Easthampton; Michael and Florence Cahillane of Northampton, many cousins and relatives, and was predeceased by John 'Jack' and Mary Cahillane.
Calling hours will be held on Monday, July 30, 2018, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Czelusniak Funeral Home in Northampton. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church on Elm Street, Northampton. The burial will be a private ceremony at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Irish-American Scholarship Fund c/o Dollars for Scholars, P.O. Box 60382, Florence, MA or to Friends of Tanglewood in memory of Michaela A. Cahillane, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, MA 02115 or online at bso.org/Forms/Donation.