Michelle Boyer

1987 - 2019

Michelle Boyer On June 3, 2019, Michelle Ann Boyer passed away peacefully at the age of 32 from melanoma. Michelle is survived by her parents Debra Langley-Boyer and Dean Boyer, her sister Melissa Baltzell, her nephew Jacob Baltzell, and her grandparents Jean and Harry Chaffee. Michelle was born on April 3, 1987. She grew up in Gig Harbor and attended Peninsula High School, where she was active in swimming and track. Michelle completed her undergraduate degree in 2009 and master's degree in 2011 in civil engineering with a structural emphasis at Washington State University. Michelle was in the honors program and participated in research into the urban heat island effect with pervious concrete including coauthoring a paper on the subject. After graduating, she worked as a structural engineer at DCI Engineers. In addition to engineering, Michelle had many interests and hobbies. She was well known for her love of animals, especially her rescue dogs Calvin and Chloe. She enjoyed the outdoors, particularly hiking through the mountains and taking photographs of nature. Michelle was an avid and skilled video game player. She also had an artistic side, which could be seen in her cross stitch and Lego creations. After Michelle was diagnosed with melanoma in 2010, she became an advocate for other cancer patients. She provided support online as a moderator on Stupid Cancer. Michelle was interviewed by multiple organizations resulting in videos produced by the Cancer Research Institute and Fred Hutchinson, and articles in Scientific American and a UK blog. She also spoke at Fred Hutchinson's Melanoma Symposium and at a Cancer Care Alliance event. Michelle participated in many clinical trials, hoping to find treatments for future patients. The family would like to thank her doctors at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and UW Medical Center for their outstanding care. Michelle felt strongly about justice in the world. She was incredibly graceful in the face of her diagnosis and throughout her extended illness. Throughout her short life she brought intelligence and joy to her friends and family. She wanted people to know that she was at peace with her death. A service will be held at the Kitsap Conventions Center on June 30th at 1:30 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.