Kellie Michane James

‘Life Is Too Short For Matching Socks’

K. Michane James

Written by Faith E. James 

 

At the bottom of her chest of drawers in Michane’s closet is a drawer filled with socks. 

Michane James was known at Pearson Elementary School as the kindergarten teacher who wore mismatched socks. 

“Life is too short for matching socks.”

It’s kind of a funny story. My mother pursued her lifelong dream a little later in life, starting college at the age of 41. She had always dreamed of being an elementary school teacher but dedicated most of her life to her children’s dreams instead of her own. When she started school, I was still in high school. To help my mother achieve her goals, my father and I would split the housework. 

One day, that is unknown to me, my mother was at home trying to get ready for her long day of class and work. The laundry had been washed and dried but had not been folded and put away. She was in a rush and was trying to find matching socks. You can imagine how annoying that would be to someone who is constantly on the move. She started to get upset but then something stopped her. She realized that clean laundry, whether it was put away or not, was not something to cry over. So instead of getting upset, she grabbed socks that didn’t match and tackled her day.

Since then, you never found Michane to be wearing socks that matched. Even as she lay in bed at Langdale Hospice House, she wore mismatched socks with a smile on her face.

Maybe it was the mismatched socks or just that she was a damned good teacher, but before her passing, Michane won Teacher of the Year for 2024-2025 for her school and the county.

Michane was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in October of 2022. With each passing moment after her diagnosis, she found some way to seize the day. Without knowing when her last breath would be, she traveled to the Caribbean on a cruise ship with her family to give them a vacation to remember. 

Each night at dinner, the cruise dining staff would put on a show for all the guests dining for the evening. Every guest had a choice of either sitting and watching the show or getting up out of their seat to dance along. Despite being tired easily, Michane would hop out of her chair, pull her children and grandchildren out of their seats, and dance the night away with them. 

Michane James is proud of the legacy that she has left behind in her mother Patricia Shannon, her father Ronald Shannon, her husband Ken James, along with her children Timothy Crouso, Marissa Crouso, and Faith James. Not only her children but also her grandchildren Raymond Crouso, Allen Stone, Olivia Crouso, and Skylar Stone. Michane’s legacy will also continue with all of the students she taught at Pearson Elementary School. 

 To the woman who raised so many, Michane James is and will always be loved by many. 

Memorial services for Mrs. James will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at Pearson Elementary School Gymnasium in Pearson, Ga. 

Relihan Funeral Home in Pearson, Ga. is in charge of the arrangements.