Michele "Shelly" Roy

Ledyard - Michele "Shelly" Roy, 70, passed away peacefully at home Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024. Shelly succumbed to ALS after living with the disease for years. She faced each day with courage and tried to keep her sense of humor. Her motto was "Do what I can for as long as I can."

Shelly was born in Hartford in 1954, and grew up in Willimantic where she graduated from Windham High School. She earned her B.S. in natural resources conservation and her M.A. in higher, technical, and adult education from UConn, later earning her sixth-year degree in education administration from Sacred Heart University. Her first teaching job was in the agri-science department at Ledyard High School, a job she kept until retirement 39 years later. Shelly loved working with high school students and felt they kept her young at heart.

In retirement, Shelly devoted many hours to volunteering for Care & Share of East Lyme. One of her great joys was working with other volunteers, especially high school students. In 1980, Shelly married Craig Grimord, whom she met at UConn. They shared a love of the outdoors and spent many happy vacations camping. They also worked together to establish gardens and landscapes to encourage birds and other pollinators. Craig was a devoted husband and companion and stayed by her side all through her ALS journey.

Shelly claimed that she'd like to say that she lost her battle with ALS, but that isn't quite true. Dealing with this disease was more like engaging in a conflict using toothpicks when the enemy has missiles. There was never a battle to win. Just maintaining a life for as long as possible. It's been a difficult time, and she tried everything she could to hold off the inevitable but, though science is working on the problem, it can only provide a temporary stay from death. The worst part for her was watching family and friends suffer. That said, it wasn't all bad. Every step of the way, somebody was with her. Her friends and family supported her. They were always there when she needed to talk, needed a ride, wanted some gardening help, or someone to go to lunch with. It was so gratifying to see people who cared and were willing to show how much they cared.

Lao Tzu said, "Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Care & Share of East Lyme, P.O. Box 114, East Lyme, CT or to the (Grimord/Roy) Agri-Science Scholarship Fund c/o The Dime Bank, 744 Colonel Ledyard Highway, Ledyard, CT 06335.