COLUMBIA
Battling depression for decades, Michele Hager-Harrison-Prado died June 9, 2023, by suicide at Finger Lakes State Park near Columbia, MO, knowing of no other way to end her emotional pain.
She dearly loved and is loved by her wife Beth, for whom Michele was the love of her life; her daughter and son-in-law Jill and Jeff Farrell and their daughters Codi Jean and Casey Rose, of San Diego, CA; her son and daughter-in-law Scott and Beth Collyer and their children Finn Alexander and Annabelle Elizabeth, of Grand Rapids, MI; her siblings Camilla Gehring (Columbus, IN), Veronica Kagley (Abilene, TX); Tim Hager (Columbus, IN), Bridget Mitchell (Grand Rapids, MI), and Damian Hager (Lima, Peru) and their families; and her in-laws Carolyn Doyle, Hugh Harrison, Arthur DeVries, and Ronnie Doyle and their families (mid-Missouri).
Michele was born December 16, 1960, in Fort Wayne, IN, to her parents Frank and Barb Hager, both of whom preceded her in death. The family moved to Columbus, IN, where Michele graduated from Columbus North High School in 1979. After graduation, she attended Purdue University before enlisting in the US Navy in 1983.
Michele attended basic training in Orlando, FL, then was stationed at numerous duty stations, including deployments near the end of her career aboard the Hewitt (DDG 966) and USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After serving 20 years on active duty, Michele retired from the Navy in 2003 as a Chief Information Systems Technician. During her career, she received three Navy Achievement Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, five Good Conduct Medals, and three Sea Service Deployment Ribbons, among other awards and numerous accolades.
After retiring from the Navy, Michele lived in San Diego, CA, until 2007 when she returned to Columbus, IN, and then relocated to Louisville, KY. It was there that she and Beth met while singing in VOICES, an LGBTQA+ choir. Beth was obtuse to the fact that Michele had been flirting with her for several months until Michele walked up to her, kissed her on the lips, grinned, and walked away. They became engaged one month later, were legally wed in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2012, and then got married some more with family and friends July 14, 2012, in Louisville, KY, where the theme was Anchor &Ocean, and VOICES sang for their wedding. After they married, Michele alphabetized her and Beth’s last names to reflect the balance and fullness of their partnership, which unintendedly confused many people and does not readily fit on forms and ID cards.
A member of Lambda Epsilon Chi, the National Honor Society for Paralegal Studies, Michele graduated summa cum laude in 2013 from Sullivan University with a Bachelor of Paralegal Studies. After graduation, Michele and Beth relocated to Columbia, MO, and Michele began work as a paralegal at the Missouri State Hospital in Fulton. Michele was forced to retire in 2015 due to Navy service-connected disability. Being home all day was challenging for Michele, so she adopted her little dog Charlie, and then after several years, got Charlie a puppy named Buddy. They became her faithful companions and helped bring interactivity and, more importantly, joy to her life.
Known as GraMichele to her grandchildren Codi, Casey, Finn, and Annabelle, she loved spending time with her California grands and was so looking forward to getting to better know and spend time with her Michigan grands.
Michele was a compulsive singer and hummer and was almost always humming, singing, or tapping out a rhythm with her fingers or her feet. Coming from a musically inclined family, she learned to play piano and sing as a child and played the baritone horn in high school. She remained musically involved throughout her life. Michele had a beautiful alto voice, clear and strong, and very much enjoyed singing in VOICES and in the Midway Locust Grove UMC choir for several seasons.
Michele was a connoisseur of single barrel bourbon and whiskey, which she drank neat, and of champagne which made her nose tingle. She had an excellent sense of humor, though Beth’s jokes often made her groan. Michele was also a serial talker-at of animals, with her kids Jill and Scott remembering her talking at their childhood pets, and Charlie and Buddy benefiting from the regular conversations, too.
After Michele and Beth began camping, Michele became an avid campfire enthusiast… once she learned how to make campfires. She loved s’mores, too. The couple and Michele’s mother-in-law Carolyn had numerous adventures with their camper, visiting state and national parks, family in Indiana and Michigan, and even taking a three-week road trip out to San Diego in early 2022. Michele tended to collect ballcaps from the various sites she visited and also loved gadgets of all kinds, which owning a camper apparently requires, and had a most impressive collection of both ballcaps and gadgets.
Michele also loved to drive, especially in the red Mustang she had when she met Beth, who occasionally had to remind her that she probably shouldn’t drive her Mustang in Louisville the same way she had driven in Southern California.
There will be two services to honor Michele’s life and to accommodate her large and dispersed family and her huge circle of friends.
On Friday June 30th at 12 noon, there will be a celebration of Michele’s life at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park, 1000 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525. The service is for family and close friends only.
A second service will take place in Columbia, MO, at 9 AM, Friday, July 7th, Midway Locust Grove UMC, 2600 N. Locust Grove Road. The service will be outdoors due to church renovation and those attending are asked to bring lawn chairs, though some seating will be provided for those who cannot. Should the weather be inclement, an alternate location will be announced shortly here and via the church’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mwlocustgrove.com
Michele Hager-Harrison-Prado was beautiful, kind, funny, adventurous, sarcastic (when appropriate), and incredibly loving. She was a fierce voice for social justice for all, especially the LGBTQA+ community. She was a steadfast and rock-solid anchor for her wife, and deeply beloved by her family and friends.
She is and will be profoundly missed.
The family requests no flowers for either service. Rather, they would like those who are so inclined to make donations to The Trevor Project, which provides 24/7 suicide prevention and crisis intervention services for LGBTQ young people. Donations can be made online at www.thetrevorproject.org; by mail at The Trevor Project, P.O. Box 69232, West Hollywood, CA 90069; or by phone at (212) 695-8650.
If you or anyone you know is considering harming yourself or dying by suicide, please, please contact the National Crisis Line at 988 and, if you are a military Veteran or on active duty, press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line.
Arrangements are under the direction of Parker-Millard Funeral Service &Crematory, 12 East Ash Street, Columbia, MO 65203 (573) 449-4153. Condolences may be left online for the family at www.parkermillard.com.
