Michele Helen Kutz

Michele Helen Kutz, 100½ years young, passed away peacefully on March 11, 2026, at Moravian Hall Square in Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Michele was born in Czyzew, Poland, to William and Stefania Zaleski. When she was young, her family immigrated to Canada in search of a better life. Life there proved difficult, and Michele with her family except her father, returned to Poland. Their time in Poland became increasingly uncertain as war approached, and the family returned to Montreal before WW2 started.When she was 19, she took a greyhound bus by herself from Montreal to Paterson, New Jersey to visit relatives. When she returned home, she convinced her family to move permanently to the United States. Once settled in the U.S., Michele took a bus into New York City and did not return home until she had secured a job. She began as a billing clerk in the garment district, but Michele had a goal. Determined to become a beautician, she worked during the day and went to school at night until she graduated and earned a position at a prestigious salon on Park Avenue. Clients arrived in chauffeur-driven cars, and Michele loved the glamour of the era. Years later, while watching, The Crown, she fondly shared the story of a client who once invited her to serve as a private hairdresser during Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

Michele met the love of her life, Michael Kutz, at a dance in Dover, New Jersey. Though they lived 50 miles apart, their romance grew through long drives and conversations on a rotary phone. They married in 1950 and built a home outside Hackettstown, NJ. In 1960, Michele opened Michele's Beauty Salon. Drawing on the skills and experience she gained in New York City; she built a successful business that thrived for four decades. Her salon was a place of community and celebration-serving loyal weekly customers as well as preparing countless women for weddings, proms, and special events, helping each of them feel beautiful and confident.

She later endured the heartbreaking loss of her husband, Michael, and her daughter, JoAnn Stecker, a beloved Hackettstown High school teacher, who passed away from breast cancer. After those devastating losses, Michele eventually moved to Florida, where she met her companion, Howard Winton. Together they embraced adventure, traveling extensively and driving across the country in a camper all the way to Alaska and back to Florida. They also enjoyed countless cruises, often joining last-minute sailings from Port Canaveral. Michele's adventurous spirit never faded-between the ages of 88 and 90 she traveled to Russia and to Holland to see the tulips in bloom.

Michele loved to dance, especially to polka and big band music. She was a talented seamstress who could sew beautiful outfits and curtains, enjoyed visits to the casinos, played bingo, and was always a true fashionista.

Michele is survived by her daughter, Deborah and John Esposito of Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania; her grandchildren Michael Stecker and Stefanie of Lopactcong, NJ, Susan and Zach Moyer of Harmony NJ, Stephanie and Tyler Boyer of Bangor, Pennsylvania, and Dan Esposito of Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania; and three great-grandchildren, Wyatt , Caleb and Dylan. She was predeceased by her husband, Michael Kutz and daughter JoAnn Stecker.

Services are private with mass at St. Peter and Paul Church and burial at Pequest Cemetery. The family wishes to express their gratitude to the staff of Family Pillars Hospice and the staff of Morningstar Senior Living at Moravian Hall Square for their loving compassion. To honor Michele, memorial contributions may be made to the Morningstar Living Foundation Employee Appreciation Fund, https://secure.givelively.org/donate/morningstar-senior-living-foundation/ employee-appreciation-recognition or to the American Cancer Society design, designating breast cancer support, and research.

Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.cochranefuneral.com .