Spencerport, NY: Michele Rapalee went home to be with Jesus on August 26, 2020 after a long illness. Michele was born in Newfoundland on May 25, 1962 to Kenneth Gary Rapalee (pre-deceased) and Arlene Kruger Rapalee Peone (Anthony J. Peone). She is survived by her brothers, Paul Rapalee (Davide Currenti) and Stephen Rapalee ( David McLoughlin).
She worked at Liftbridge Books in downtown Brockport for over 20 years. Michele had an Associates degree in Art and Photography from Ventura County Community College in California and loved drawing, painting and creating her own greeting cards. Michele also was very creative in the kitchen, experimenting with her own recipes. She sometimes used her family and friends as “guinea pigs” but we still loved her.
Many thanks to the caring staff at Wedgewood Nursing Home in Spencerport for their wonderful care and attention. In Memory of Michele and her love of animals, donations may be made to Lollypop Farm at lollypop.org. A celebration of Michele’s life will be held at a later date.
If anyone can power through to a heavenly afterlife (or create one from scratch), it’s Michele Rapalee, a true artist.
And a true friend.
To know Michele was to love her. Her warmth and kindness was ever present. She had a way of making you feel relaxed and welcome while she worked on her latest creation. She could teach you things. We supported each other in so many ways in the early days of college. There will always be an empty spot with her gone, but a full heart in having known and loved her. There’s a song she wrote that makes me think of her fondly called, “Love, the Summer of Love”…”Surfing down the highway, riding the wave, can’t find a day when I don’t want to play. Love, the summer of love. Climbing to the peak of no return, but like my lover says, live and learn! Love, the summer of love, love the summer of love”…fade out.
I miss knowing you are alive in the world, Michele, but I know your journey continues. So many memories, and cats! Love, Anne