Michele Ann Vozza

Michele Ann Vozza, 54, of Traverse City passed away and went up to heaven the morning of March 25, 2020, with her loving husband and sons at her side after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Michele was born on February 15, 1966, in Traverse City to loving parents William J and Esther Marie (Sharnowski) Saxton. She had many fond memories of savoring Traverse City summers with her three sisters, her friends, and family at her childhood home downtown.
Michele graduated from Traverse City High School in 1984 and earned her associate degree from Northwestern Michigan College. She worked as a certified medical assistant before becoming a full-time wife and mother of three boys, a job which she loved.

Michele met the love of her life Angelo Onorio Vozza Jr., the fall of 1986. They eventually married on September 11, 1993, at St. Francis Catholic Church. Over their 33 year love-affair, they raised three earnest yet compassionate young men; with her family, she cherished walks on the beach and weekend drives across Northern Michigan.

Michele enjoyed baking for family and friends. She was well known for her delicious cupcakes and cheesecakes which were often brought to robotics meetings and family gatherings. While Michele liked to bake, her greatest passion was mentoring FIRST Robotics teams at Traverse City elementary, middle, and high schools, which she did for over a decade. As a mentor, she reinforced that success in life required more than technical knowledge and emphasized soft skills like communication, creative thinking, and teamwork. Michele will be dearly missed by her family, friends, and all of the young people she had impacted.
Michele is survived by her husband Angelo Jr.; sons Angelo III, Dante, and Massimo; mother Esther; sisters Marie (Saul Dobson), Rebecca (Jim Jeffery), and Barbara; father-in-law Angelo; mother-in-law Maria; brothers-in-law Maurizio (sister-in-law Anna), Julio, and Adriano; nieces Gabriella, Sophia, Mia, and Francesca; along with aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, William.

Visitation will be held Friday, June 12 at 6 pm. The rosary will be prayed at 7 pm at the Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home.

The mass will be held Saturday, June 13, 2020 at 11 am at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the mass will be for the family and friends of Michele. Interment will follow at Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens.

Instead of sending flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be directed to the "Angelo and Michele Vozza More Than Robots Scholarship" fund at www.gtrcf.org/give/our-funds.html/290/ .

The family is being cared for by Reynolds Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services. Please visit www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com to share your condolences and memories with her family.