Michelle Angela Szetela
February 23, 1976 - March 17, 2019
Michelle Angela Solomon of West Jordan died on Sunday, March 17 in Huntsman Cancer Hospital after a short illness. Born in Bethlehem, PA, she was the wife of Edward Szetela, and taught English and Writing at Copper Hills High School and at the Salt Lake Community College. She was a graduate of Stony Brook University, and held Master’s Degrees from Long Island University and Northern Arizona University. She helped found and was the Director of the newly formed Copper Hills Writing Center. She was a published scholar in the field of teaching Writing and Writing Research.
She grew up in Coopersburg, PA and Emmaus, PA, in the midst of her parents and brother, all four grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins. Since two of her grandparents were from Ireland, she grew up knowing her aunts, uncles and cousins there, and remained close to them. She loved to read and talk about books from an early age. She and her family camped and traveled often. Michelle loved swimming and was in a swim team; she always loved the sea and walking along the seafront. Even as a young child she was interested in cooking with her mother, and grandmother, especially baking.
She and her husband Ed loved to travel together, and enjoyed trips to Estonia, Sweden and Finland; to Iceland, Rome, Ireland and Australia. They enjoyed travel to Las Vegas, New York, Seattle and National Parks in Utah. They had plans to travel to England and Wales, Israel and the East Coast. She always shared their travels and her photos online, giving family and friends the chance to share in the adventures.
Michelle was an enthusiastic writer, voracious reader, and blogged about travel and cooking. She loved music, archaeology, and traveling with her husband. She loved words and humor, and always enjoyed discovering strange and interesting facts about the world and history. She was fascinated by the skill and complexity of the art of writing. She had a strong spiritual bent, and a critical and enquiring mind that made discussions with her invigorating and enjoyable. Her independent spirit led her to search continuously for the answers behind the most difficult questions in life, and she was continuously seeking out the many ways other people see the world. She loved to laugh.
Teaching was a joy to her. She talked kindly and thoughtfully about her students, and deeply appreciated her teacher friends and colleagues. She was so thankful to have the chance to work at a profession she loved.
She is sadly missed by her beloved husband, Edward Szetela; her parents, Thomas and Angela Solomon of Santa Rosa, CA; her brother Justin and sister-in-law Phatcharee Solomon, and nephew, Niall of Petaluma, CA; her aunts and uncles, Anne and William Maginn of Clifton Park, NY, and cousin Ciara; Patrick and Meghan Keith-Hynes of San Diego, CA, and cousins Bronwyn and Aidan.
Her kindness, compassion, generosity and great goodness are missed by all who knew her. She gave gifts freely to everyone in her life, but her greatest gift was her kindness.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, 7405 South Redwood Road, West Jordan, Utah on Thursday, March 21, at 4:00 p.m. There will be a viewing beginning at 3:00 p.m. in the Church meeting room. Refreshments will be served following Mass in the church hall for friends and family. Please join us.
For those unable to attend, visit www.starksfuneral.com to watch the Funeral Mass live. Services will remain viewable on Starks Funeral Parlor website thereafter.
Special thanks to the Huntsman Cancer Hospital for their superb care to Michelle during her illness. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made in Michelle’s name to Cross Catholic Outreach, crosscatholic.org.
Michelle and Red Shoes
Michelle was very close to her Irish grandmother, who had a love of red shoes, especially patent leather. Her grandmother wore them at a time when most people didn’t dare to wear brightly- colored footwear, and it became a symbol in the family for creativity and courage to be oneself. When Michelle and Ed were getting married, she decided to wear sneakers so that she could dance at her wedding, and as a message to her grandmother that she had learned those lessons, her sneakers were red.
In Loving Memory
I deepest sympathy on the loss Of a Wife daughter and sister . She was a very sweet person , angel watching over You’ll . God Bless
I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Michelle was a beautiful soul with a loving heart. She will be sorely missed by everyone who had the honor to know her.
My deepest condolences to you Ed. May the good Lord comfort you during this time of grief and sorrow. Much love, Dave "K2" Kinikini
Ed - I'm horribly sorry for your loss - and I cannot comprehend your grief. I'm here for you in whatever way your need my brother.
Heartfelt Condolences to Michelle's dear ones from Stony Brook. So sorry for your loss.
My thoughts and prayers go out to Michelle's loved ones. She will certainly be missed in the writing center community. She was a wonderful educator and light to others.
The Writing Center community - and especially Michelle's tutors - will miss her warmth, contributions, and support. Sending wishes of comfort to everyone she touched.
Ed- I do not even have the words. Please know that I here for you. Whenever you need, you need but ask. Love you Brother!
There are no words, but I hope that you can find comfort in knowing that Ms. Szetela made such a positive impact on the student lives that she touched. My son was in Ms. Szetela's language arts class last year. She was one of his favorites. She was such a patient, caring educator. She will greatly be missed by him and always remembered fondly. You will be in our prayers.
Ed, Our condolences to you and Michele’s family. Words cannot express the sorrow we feel for the loss of your beautiful Wife, Daughter, Sister. We remember her kindness, warm heart and beautiful smile. She is an angel. May God grant you peace and strength during this difficult time. May her memory be eternal. Love to all, Chrys & Katerina Apostle and Family
I am deeply sorry for your loss. Michelle had a huge impact on my life. She cared deeply for her students and worked hard to make sure they succeeded. I will forever be grateful that I had the opportunity to know this amazing women. She will be missed by so many.
My thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Szetela’s loved ones. She taught me so much and was always there for me when I needed. As her student I will forever be thankful for the impact she has had on my life. I am so sorry for your loss.
sending
Sending my love and prayers to the family of mrs. Szetela. She was one to do anything for you and her class was one that i looked forward to everyday. The memories made in that class are ones that i will forever cherish. Grateful to have been able to meet such a kind hearted and funny person. She helped me grow so much and I’m thankful for that. Sorry for the loss.
In the short time that I knew her, I could tell she was a woman of wonderful strengths and intelligence. She was always kind and wonderfully supportive in every sense of the way. My condolences and best wishes in this difficult time.
Mrs. Szetela was by far my favorite teacher. Every day that I saw her she made me smile and laugh. I so dearly appreciated her kindness and always having her door open when I needed it. I even sometimes interrupted her lunches to eat with her when I had no else to go. She made me feel important and special. She will be dearly missed and I'm so sorry for your loss.
We are so sorry for your loss. Our daughter expressed that Michelle was her favorite teacher. She said she was real with the students, funny, and sharp witted. She would tease the boys and compliment the girls. We are thankful for her excellent teaching, and and for creating the writing lab at CHHS. She will be missed.
Our hearts are with you, Ed. She was wonderful. May you see God’s light on the path ahead When the road you walk is dark. May you always hear, Even in your hour of sorrow, The gentle singing of the lark. When times are hard may hardness Never turn your heart to stone, May you always remember when the shadows fall – You do not walk alone.
Angela, What a great , caring human being ! Love pouring! She will be deeply missed. I am with you on this difficult path and will be forever. You and your family are all in my thoughts. Maryse
Michelle's company and friendship when we were classmates and fellow tutors at Stony Brook was a joy and a gift. I'm so very sorry to hear of her passing, and my prayers are with her family.
I am so deeply saddened to hear of Michelle’s illness and passing. I so enjoyed Michelle’s posts, photos, blogs and her perspective on so many subjects. My newsfeed will not be the same without her witty posts. Please know you’re all in our prayers - that you will find some comfort in Gods peace.
We are very sorry for your loss. May 'the God of all comfort' be with your family at this be difficult time. Psalms 34:19
Sending my condolences to Ed, Angela, her students, and everyone else who loves Michelle. I tutored with her at Long Island University in Brooklyn. She was always so positive, sweet, and fun to talk to. We kept in touch online. I’m honored to have known her and will miss her posts and wit. I’m praying for her family’s comfort during this difficult time.
Ed, we are sorry for your loss and our heart and prayers with you and the whole family.
My deepest sorrow for those who loved dear Michelle. I enjoyed her interesting posts and wish I could have known her better. I thank her for being a loving wife to my nephew, a first class educator and such a positive influence on her students and co-workers. Much love to Ed and to Michelle's parents and family.
So sorry to hear of the loss of this wonderful person and teacher. My daughter loved her Writing 1010 and 1020 class at Copper Hills last year because of Mrs. Szetela. She was devastated to hear of her passing. I remember TaylorAnne would come home from school with fun treats (dipped oreos, treats, homemade chocolate treats, etc.) all in a cute bag with ribbon. I'd always ask her who gave those to her (thinking it was one of her friends) and it was always Mrs. Szetela. She was very kind to her students and they knew she cared about them. CHHS will miss you Mrs. Szetela!
Dear John, I was saddened to hear about the passing of your daughter in law Michelle. My thoughts & prayers are with you & your son. Terry
My heartfelt sympathy to Angela, Tom, Ed, Justin, Phatcharee and Niall. I am filled with sorrow for the loss of dear Michelle. Michelle came to my piano studio as a young student. As a piano student she was dedicated in all avenues of learning. I was honored to play for her beautiful wedding reception. I send my love and may her goodness, and loving sincere personality always be remembered. May God bless and comfort all of Michelle's family and dear friends.
To Michelle's husband Ed and her family, I taught at Salt Lake Community College with Michelle on her online team. We are all heartbroken at her loss, and are thinking of you all. To us, she was so smart, thoughtful, wickedly funny, and a trusted friend. She is so vivid to me--to us--and we are sending all our love, prayers, and thoughts to the ones who loved her so much. With love, Lisa B.
Dear Ed, I'm so sorry to hear about Michelles' passing. I'm currently in the english 2010 class at SLCC and only had the chance to interact with her a few times but those few times were amazing. I hope that things heal soon.
Dear Ed, I am so, so sorry to hear about Michelle's passing. I knew her as a student at Stony Brook University, and I know how important it was to her to become a good teacher. She became a wonderful teacher and mentor, touching the lives of many students and colleagues in different parts of the country. In her short life, she made the world a much better place for so many young people. My deepest condolences to you.
I was so sorry to hear about Michelle’s passing. My deepest sympathy and condolences. I will fondly remember our time together at the Stony Brook University Writing Center. She was an amazing mentor and a great friend. She will be deeply missed. So sorry for your loss.
My deepest condolences for Ed and for anyone who was impacted by Michelle. I knew Michelle as a student at Salt Lake Community College this year and am currently enrolled within her intermediate English course. I've only known her for such a short amount of time but the time that I've had with her were genuinely nothing but kindness. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for giving me kindness and patience. Please rest in peace.
In Loving Memory
