Michaela Petit

Michaela Rose Petit was born Nov. 17, 1995, daughter of Jennifer Lynn Hawke-Petit and Dr. William A. Petit Jr., and the sister of Hayley Elizabeth, whom she adored. Michaela, 11, died tragically July 23, 2007.
She was looking forward to attending middle school at Chase Collegiate this fall. Following in her big sister Hayley's footsteps, she was to take over her multiple sclerosis cause "Hayley's Hope", renaming it "Michaela's Miracle" when Hayley left for Dartmouth College this fall. She had completed her summer reading and was embarking on the new Harry Potter series. She recently attended the summer Athletic Experience at Miss Porter's School in Farmington, playing soccer, basketball and lacrosse. She loved watching the cooking network and preparing "gourmet" meals for her family, and could often be found jumping on the trampoline in her backyard where her friends and neighbors gathered. She recently performed her first flute solo at the Cheshire United Methodist Church.
She is survived by her father; her paternal grandparents, William and Barbara Petit, of Plainville; her maternal grandparents, Richard and Marybelle Hawke, of Slippery Rock, Pa. and Venice, Fla.; her maternal great-grandmother, Florence Triano; her Aunt Cindy and Uncle Bill Renn and their children, Evan and Lydia; Uncle Glenn Petit, his children, Rachel and Alicia, and their children, Jacob and Molly; Aunt Kyla; Uncle Mike and Aunt Erin Petit and their children, Michael, Brooke, Tristan and Paige; Uncle Brian Petit; and Aunt Johanna and Uncle Dennis Chapman and their children, Abby and Andrew; and her great aunts and uncles, Jean McNuff, Judith Hodge, Jim Buchanan, Elnora Richards, John Hawke, Johanna and Joseph Ierna, Frank Triano, Andrea and James LaChapelle, Edward and Roberta Petit, Beverly and Larry Joyce, Sharon and Eugene Beaulieu, Gary Petit, Clara, Marilyn, Victoria, Sally, and Linda Petit.
A memorial was held July 28 to honor Michaela, her sister, Hayley, and their mother, Jennifer, at the Herbert D. Welte Auditorium on the campus of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Bailey Funeral Home, Plainville, assisted the family with arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to the Michaela Petit Scholarship at Chase Collegiate School, 565 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT 06708 or "Michaela's Miracle" at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Greater Connecticut Chapter, 659 Tower Ave., 1st Floor, Hartford, CT 06112 or at www.ctfightsms.org.