Michele Gayle Rich

Michele Gayle Rich, nee Wallace, was born to Eugene and Irene Wallace on February 11, 1947, in Long Beach, California. She was the first of three daughters to Irene and Eugene and enjoyed a life growing up with close family ties with her immediate and extended family. In 1964 she graduated from Wilson High School and ventured out into the world to begin her adult life.

She had a brief marriage to Douglas Ward Schwarz, which brought them 2 children, a boy and a girl. Robert Eric (Bob) was born in 1966, with Lisa Renee arriving in 1968. The couple divorced in 1970 and Michele carried on as a single mother, continuing her career at McDonnell Douglas that she began in 1965.

Eventually the family of three settled down in a new townhome in Cypress, a short drive from her parents' home in Long Beach. Over the next several years, her soul shined as she painted and decorated her home to make it her own special place. There were dinners with family and time shared with friends drinking wine and listening to music.

With the help of her parents, she raised her children in the Lutheran faith, enrolling them at a parochial school in Long Beach so they could be close to her work and their grandparents. Because of the close bond with her parents, her children also enjoyed a very special bond with their grandparents and enjoyed sharing dinners with them several times a week. The holidays were always spent with Michele's parents at her childhood home, with as many family members as could squeeze in welcome to join in the festivities. These fond memories stayed with her and she aspired to carry on the tradition.

Michele was a tireless mom, working a full-time job and maintaining warm meaningful relationships with her friends and family. She always made time to take her children to activities, such as soccer, school and church events, or even parties with their friends. There was a time when she selflessly took on an additional part-time job at a local restaurant to make that Christmas extra special for her children. She was fun and adventuresome - whether it was engaging in a water balloon fight with her young children, or attempting to head up an overnight campout at a local park (that hilariously turned out to be by reservation only). For all of these shenanigans and more, her best friend, Beryl (affectionately known as Auntie Boo by Michele's children) was always by her side to share in the belly laughs.

Even when others would have thrown in the towel, Michele always had more to give. She began taking classes at Cypress College and earned her Associate in Arts in the summer of 1982 while not missing a beat in all the other areas of her life.

While still growing in her career at McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, she met several lifelong friends and her future husband, Ronald James Rich. After several years together, something on the horizon caught their attention, and in 1982 they bought a new home in the growing city of Mesa, Arizona. Many hours were spent painting and decorating this new space to make it perfect for them. In addition to this, they enjoyed many outdoor projects, particularly selecting and planting an endless variety of trees around the property. They were later married at a small chapel on the campus of Arizona State University on Valentine's Day of 1987, later celebrating the event at their home with family and friends from all over.

Michele continued her career in the aerospace industry by securing a job at the nearby Hughes facility. Much to her delight, Hughes was later purchased by McDonnell Douglas, returning to her well over a decade of various benefits that came with her prior years at the company in California. She climbed her way up the corporate ladder, eventually working on important projects that would send her on countless business trips to the east coast, England, Ireland, and even Turkey. She retired from the company, now Boeing, in 2006.

Life was good for Michele and Ron, and they found a spot in Northern Arizona they fell in love with. In the summer of 1993, they purchased a small mountain retreat in the Heber/Overgaard area. They enjoyed countless weekends there entertaining loved ones, until Michele's heart outgrew the walls of their small second home. Longing for space for those big family gatherings of years past, she and Ron decided to expand the home to what it is today. Through the years, they sometimes lived there full time, or after selling their home in Mesa, sometimes enjoying small town life at their other home in Clarkdale. Both homes were always open to visitors, but she especially looked forward to visits from her children and grandchildren.

As the years zoomed by, her family tree sprouted more leaves. Daughter Lisa married Martin Harris, and they soon began a family of their own. Abigail Rose was born in 2005; Hannah Rayne came in 2011. The new grandmother loved coming to visit the girls and attending various recitals or awards ceremonies - always surprising them with flowers for a job well done. Her firstborn, Bob, never married, but enjoyed a long-term relationship with Jennifer Skinner. Jenn came complete with her young sons, Tristin and Tyler, whom Michele and Ron later claimed as honorary grandchildren.

Michele passed on Monday, February 6, 2023. She was taken too soon and will be missed by all. She had a warm heart and a giving soul, always going above and beyond if there was an opportunity to help. She is preceded in death by her parents Eugene and Irene Wallace, her son Robert Schwarz, and her sister, Jenon Shaw. She is survived by her husband, Ron Rich, her daughter, Lisa Harris, granddaughters, Abigail Harris and Hannah Harris, and her sister, Patrice Hansen.