Michele Wahlder

Michele Marina Wahlder, age 61, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 6th enveloped by the love of her family, close friends, and her steadfast, 7-pound companion, Mercy.

She is survived by her husband Michael Kerber, brother Tommy (Laurie) Wahlder, sister Ilana Wahlder (Cary Smith), and stepdaughter Zoe Kerber. Also cherishing her memory are numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, relatives-in-law, and scores of friends. Michele loved her family and friends with a fierceness that few people possess.

She was born in Alexandria, LA to Michael Moyse Wahlder and Nurit Pilzer Wahlder, who preceded her in death. Her early years were spent surrounded by doting grandparents and caregivers who helped her develop her values of justice, fairness, and kindness. She always had a soft heart for animals of all types, dogs in particular. Summers traveling to Colorado Springs and Miami increased Michele's appreciation of nature and the outdoors.

While attending and graduating from Holy Savior Menard High School in Alexandria, Michele was on the tennis team and taught swimming to younger children, using the skills she perfected in a sport she continued to love for the rest of her life.

Michele graduated from Tulane University in 1985 with a BA in Communications. Summers were spent studying at Stanford University, University of Colorado, and Université Paris 13. After college, she immediately went to work in New Orleans where two weeks into one of her early jobs at the St. Charles Hotel, she became the head of the large housekeeping department when her predecessor was let go.

Her life journey brought her to Dallas where she rose to the level of Regional Account Executive for Marriott International, winning many performance awards and accolades. While working full-time for Marriott, Michele put herself through the graduate program at Texas Woman's University earning an MS in Counseling Psychology and a certification as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). With this degree and certification, she would go on to work at Legacy Counseling and Lucent Technologies until she discovered her true passion for life coaching.

Michele attended Coach for Life and attained her Certified Life Coach (CLC) and later obtained her certification as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) under the auspices of the International Coach Federation. Other certifications included Certified Mediator, Seasons of Change Coach, Strengths Coach from Core Clarity, Inc. and Level I Focusing Coach from the International Focusing Institute. For over 20 years, she would help her clients discover their direction, passion, and purpose through her company Life Possibilities, LLC. She had clients from all over the world and from all walks of life. Michele had a particular fondness for coaching young women through career and relationship changes and challenges. She wanted to help them see themselves as powerful, worthy, vibrant beings that could be both vulnerable and strong.

Michele authored two books. Alphatudes: The Alphabet of Gratitude was a tangible product of her never wavering spirit of gratitude. What began as a technique for helping her with insomnia, literally became a book that touched and changed several lives. Walking by Starlight ~ a healing journey through cancer detailed with great vulnerability Michele's living of her life while enduring Stage IV breast cancer. Finally, Michele created a companion game/discussion starter called Gratitude Topic Cards. These cards were an amazing way for families and friends to joyfully express feelings of gratitude.

She sold a few copies of her books, but donated hundreds of copies to breast cancer support groups, synagogues, churches, and many other charitable organizations. She would keep copies of Alphatudes in a plastic bag in the trunk of her car with a sticky note saying, "Grateful to be your neighbor!" and place them in the mailboxes of new neighbors.

Besides being a poet and author, Michele painted with watercolors, gardened, crocheted, loved concerts and music, and even took lessons on the Native American flute.

Always wanting to improve the lives of others, Michele volunteered at several breast cancer support groups, Pearl Girls, Jewish Family Service, Legacy Counseling, Attitudes & Attire, Girls, Inc., Support the Enlisted Project, YWCA, and SPCA. She even made a few trips to the Federal Correctional Institution in Seagoville so she could help women in the minimal security prison make a better life for themselves. Kindness and serving others were always at the forefront of her mind. One of the sayings she had was, "Say what you mean. Mean what you say. And don't say it mean".

Through several divinely influenced, serendipitous events, Michele met the love of her life, Michael Kerber, in 2005. After subjecting him to numerous psychological and coaching assessments for 5 years, they married in 2010 and began a journey that brought them both immeasurable love and happiness. One of their initial dates had them stuck in a traffic jam where they were able to talk honestly, sing along with songs on the radio, and Michael learned that Michele was authentic, gracious, smart, witty, entertaining, funny, playful, sporty, kind, gentle, compassionate, tender, nurturing, and a terrific listener. Fierce conversations were a specialty of hers. She wanted her relationships and conversations to be honest, direct, and meaningful. Michele could be vulnerable, but she could also be direct. One of the character traits she aspired to was "rigorous honesty" and she had a marriage to a man that would join her in that pursuit.

Michele lived her life with a close connection to God. She pursued a spiritual path that was faith based, and knowledge driven. Always seeking ways to enrich her soul, she participated in religious and spiritual classes and workshops her whole life. Michele was buried at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 9th and a memorial service was held the same day at Temple Emanu-El of Dallas.

The family of Michele is wholeheartedly grateful for the care Michele received from the doctors, nurses and staff at the UT Southwestern Medical Center, Clements University Hospital, and Oasis of Hope Hospital. The following list includes earth angels who went well beyond the normal expectations of the healthcare provider-patient relationship: Dr. Barbara Haley, Dr. Nisha Unni, Dr. Robert Timmerman, Terri -Kelley Griffis, FNP-C, Dr. Kim Barker, Dr. Orhan Oz, Dr. John Barr, Dr. Roopa Vemulapalli, Dr. Sumant "Butch" Krishnan, Hunter Mandeville, Dr. Hunter Mandeville, DPT, Debbie Lawson, NP, the Palliative Care Team at UTSW, and the 10th Floor Nurses & Staff of Clements Hospital.

Michele was incredibly resourceful and developed a network of doctors and healers outside of the hospital setting. In particular, the following were uniquely helpful: Dr. Howard Smith, Mike Leffingwell, LPC, Pamela Hafemann, MA, LPC, Dr. Andy Benson, Dr. Alan Chen, Dr. Francine Bruggers, Dr. Isaac Eliaz, Dr. Dan Rubin, Dr. Francisco Contreras, Dr. Francisco Ceceña, and Dr. Paulina Larraga.

In memory of Michele, the family asks that donations be made to any one of the following three organizations that were dear to Michele's heart:

Metavivor: Metastatic Breast Cancer Research, Support and Awareness https://donate.metavivor.org/give/318818/#!/donation/checkout

Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas https://jfsdallas.org/donate/donate-now/

Temple Emanu-El of Dallas https://www.tedallas.org/give/tributes/