Michelle Duba

1965 - 2023

Mystic - Michelle Duba, 57, died Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at her home. Michelle was born Sept. 14, 1965, and grew up in Mystic.

Michelle was a loving mother who put her children above all else in her life. She was a person who continually poured herself out for others never expecting anything in return. She so loved to see and make others happy and joyful. Her passion for caring for others was not only evident in her family, but in her professional life as well. She devoted herself to helping care for those who couldn't care for themselves whether working in classrooms with disabled students or later in life, working with the elderly. Caring really was her passion.

Michelle's faith was also important to her, getting baptized just a year ago at her church, Grace Fellowship.

She is survived by her four sons: Kyle, Nicholas (his wife Jisseth and daughter Mel), Daniel and Chad. Michelle is also survived by Nonnie and Poppie (Don and Mary Duba); her brother Fred Block; and Paul Pestena and Wayne. She is predeceased by her mother Carol Block and her father Fred Block.

Here are some special memories from her children - Kyle remembers exploring the streets of Prague, with his mom and seeing her joy as she got to see and experience new things. He also remembers how Michelle would always call to check in on him as he lived abroad and traveled for work - Nicholas remembers how excited Michelle got when Mel called her Mimi and kissed her cheek. Michelle's face would always light up when she saw Mel and was proud to talk about her whenever she could. And she always checked on her daughter-in-law when Nick was away for work - Dan remembers spending time in York Beach, Maine: waking up early and going to the beach, and at Christmas time, the special tradition of choosing a special Christmas ornament for each of her children representing what they did in that year - Chad remembers sitting out on the front porch in Maine with his mom looking at the ocean and the peace and serenity that brought to them. He also remembers picking out the Christmas tree every year the day after Thanksgiving in what became a special family tradition.

Michelle would always like to look her best, and you would almost never catch her without her lipstick in her purse. And she appreciated the little things in life as much as the big things. Every moment could be a special one. Her proudest accomplishment was raising her four children and seeing their success in life. In recent years, that grew to include watching her granddaughter Melania grow up.

A Funeral Service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, at Grace Fellowship Church, 102 Providence-New London Turnpike in North Stonington. To share a message of condolence or remembrance, please visit www.dinotofuneral.com