To view the Celebration of Life live , click on the link below and then enter the Meeting ID and the passcode
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84500383814?pwd=RDk4ODVoSFJ4Szd2aXoyM3FiZFFhZz09

Meeting ID: 845 0038 3814
Passcode: 987120

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Michelle Marie Hamann, age 38, of St. Joseph, MO passed away at KU Medical Center from complications following a heart catheter procedure.  Michelle was born November 9, 1984, to John and Terri (Brooner) Hamann in St. Joseph, MO.

Michelle was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Dr. Arthur Hamann and Dr. Barbara (Phillips) Hamann, and her maternal grandfather Charles Orman Brooner.  Michelle is survived by her parents John A and Terri L (Brooner) Hamann of St. Joseph, MO; her sister and brother-in-law Stephanie (Hamann) Puett and Spencer Puett of Panama City, FL; her brother Taylor Hamann of Topeka, KS; nephews Enzo Hamann, August Puett, Archer Puett; niece Adelaide Puett; maternal grandmother Colleen (Froyd) Brooner; aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts, great uncles and many friends and acquaintances around the world.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of two meaningful causes dear to Michelle:  Community of Christ, memo Camp Farwesta, and Outreach International.

This is a Celebration of Michelle's Life. This obituary is long, so settle in, for Michelle has an interesting and unique life-story:

Michelle was born November 9th, 1984. She attended Hall Elementary School, Truman Middle School, and Central High School graduating in 2003. She attended Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa, majoring in and obtaining a degree in Business Administration. She went on to attend UMKC where she earned two (2) additional degrees in German and Spanish. Each of those latter 2 degrees required a semester of study resident in Germany and Spain, respectively. While at Graceland University, she studied ceramics, following in the footsteps of her Uncle Peter and Aunt Ember.  One winter term she hand made a quilt. Michelle was a combination of strong left brain and a mix of creative right brain – much like her father.

Michelle was born with an array of medical conditions that would permeate her life over the whole of her nearly 39 years. At birth Michelle was diagnosed as having a type of birthmark that would only be revealed with time. As it turned out, she had "mixed hemangiomas", a common vascular birthmark made of extra blood vessels in and under the skin on the sides of her face and neck. For Michelle they were not so common, rather, they grew very large. At the age of 10 weeks, she underwent surgery to insert a trachea tube due to a compromised airway…at 11 months of age, Michelle would require 3 surgeries per year over the next 3 years to remove the hemangiomas. At 4 yrs of age, she had a heart bypass operation to correct a coarctation of the descending aorta. At age 13, a surgical procedure was required to expand the aorta at the location of the Gor-Tex patch using the placement of stents. Many medical procedures would continue over the years.

After graduating from High School in 2003, shortly before leaving for Graceland University, Michelle was in a serious single car accident.  The injuries being numerous and of such a nature as to require being life flighted to KU Medical Center. There they repaired her many fractures including her back and touch and go head injury. It was relatively clear sailing for many years with yearly checkups. It was not until the early months of 2023 that she experienced sudden high blood pressure which, after some tests, it was determined to be secondary to a narrowing of the stents which had been installed many years earlier. A correction of that narrowing with additional stent placement and expansion was scheduled for September 26, 2023. While the procedure went according to plan with no apparent problems, during recovery she experienced cascading complications from which she could not be revived.

We do not share the detail of her medical history for any other reason than to reveal that in spite of all these challenges, Michelle over her life was a blessing to her family and many others. This did not define her life.  She broke through her medical challenges each time with her love and care for the weak, the challenged and the different as well as a nurturing commitment to a host of other types of friend and familial relationships here and abroad in many counties in Europe.

Michelle was raised in a bi-lingual home – German and English. Her father has never spoken English with Michelle or her siblings. Michelle and her father traveled together to Germany for three weeks when Michelle was 8 years old. During that trip Michelle spent a few days in a German school, leaving the teachers and the students in amazement of how she could speak German so well coming from the USA. She became a master of her languages speaking fluently and with flare English (naturally), German, Spanish and she was well on her way to learning Italian and she dabbled in Japanese.

In her younger years Michelle enjoyed music, sports, church camps with friends and family, camping (including several trips to the Boundary Waters), school events with friends, and movies.  She became a super movie buff as the years went by. All of her family would often quote random movie lines at odd times that made the moments funny and memorable.

Over the years, beginning in 1992, her family hosted several exchange students, and three of the German e-kids (as we liked to call them) kept in close contact all through the years to current day, even returning for visits  and hosting Michelle in their homes.  Her Uncle Peter invited her to Japan for 3 weeks when she was in the 7th grade.  She came home with a host of Japanese words and phrases she had mostly retained through the years.

Her first trip to Spain was with a good family friend, Pam Peck and her high school group.  She lived in both Germany and Spain during the study of her university degrees.  She was "hooked" on language and travel!

She traveled with a friend through Europe for 2-3 weeks, saving her money for the trip.  In 2007, during her German schooling in Munich, she met her Aunt Janelle and they traveled some in Europe.

After college she did an internship in Spain at a hotel one year.  Over the next few years she worked in Spain at English/Spanish bilingual elementary schools as an assistant English teacher.  The kids loved her as she did them.  During those times she had opportunity to travel to several European countries.  Michelle made friends everywhere she went in Europe.  She tutored kids in math, kids and adults in Spanish, German and English.  She once assisted a couple at a restaurant in Spain that began a new relationship.  They hosted her in their home in Britain later and she traveled in Scotland and Ireland.

Oh the sites she saw and the friends she made!  She became a chameleon in regards to culture and local customs. She could narrow down the country of origin by the way a person spoke Spanish with good accuracy.

Michelle worked at the family owned Baskin Robbins store throughout the 25 years the family owned the store.  She learned the products, the customers (helping them in 3 languages), and management.  She and her sister Stephanie and brother Taylor worked the store and she and Stephanie managed the store off and on and then Michelle for the last several years.

Because of Michelle's love for language, culture, and travel, she worked registration at our church's World Conference for the last 5 or 6 conferences.  Many will remember seeing her there, smiling, and speaking multiple languages even occasionally flipping back and forth with 3 languages at the same time in a group of people from different countries.

Cooking was also a passion for Michelle.  She could whip up a gourmet meal in short order.  Although the family wasn't always used to the special herbs, spices and methods she had learned to cook with.  J It was often an experiment to us.  And she cooked and share food with many others.

When her first nephew was born, she was head over heels in love.  A year and a half later another nephew and 3 years later twin niece and nephew.  Michelle's heart was so full with love for these kids.  She was "Tia", Spanish for aunt.  They were her world.  She loved them with a love that would rival a parent's love.  She even nannied 3 of them for 8 months in Virginia and visited them 3 to 4 times a year. She pined for all the kids when she couldn't be around them.  Children give unconditional love.

Michelle also loved to teach children at our church family camp, Camp Farwesta at Stewartsville, MO.  She had attended camps there with family and friends since she was born.  In fact she had made plans to camp with good friends and teach next summer.

After returning to St. Joseph to help with the sale of the Baskin Robbins store, Michelle had a long learning curve to find a job in the corporate world.  A few months ago she landed a job that seemed a perfect fit for her. She started a position with an international company in Blue Springs handling logistics of customer orders to Canada and Mexico and beyond.  They were thrilled with her language skills and we were so pleased she had found a job that was a good fit for her.

Michelle had a love for her family, friends (all over the world), all children, traveling, cooking, movies and movie quotes.  She and the family would crack jokes and laugh over movie quotes, Baskin Robbins situations, and inside family jokes.  As many have sent their kind words to us, many say "she was one of kind", they will "miss her smile", she "made them laugh", and one person said they "will miss her light."

Indeed she was a light in the family of John and Terri Hamann.  There is more to Michelle's journey.

Visitation to be held Saturday, October 7, at 10:00 am at Abundant Life Center, 5130 Faraon, St. Joseph, MO.  Celebration of Life to follow at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to one of two meaningful causes dear to Michelle:  Community of Christ, memo Camp Farwesta, and mail checks to 5130 Faraon, St. Joseph, MO  64506;

Outreach International – https://outreach-international.org.