Michelle L. Touchtone-Polut

Michelle L. Touchtone Polut, age 32, passed away November 26, 2014 in Clinton township. She was born July 3, 1982 in Detroit. She was the founder and owner of Loveabull Paws Rescue. She is survived by her loving husband Sean; her parents Jeffrey W. and Evelyn Touchtone; her grandmothers Patricia Harms and Germaine Jakob. Michelle was the daughter-in-law of Gordon and Maryanne Polut. She is survived by her siblings Jennifer (Anthony) Gonzalez and Amanda (Justin) Carty. She was the dear aunt of Hannah, Alena, Adam, Joseph, and soon to be Ellery. She was the sister-in-law to Jennifer (Mike) Washburn and Jeffrey Polut. She is also survived by her special “furry kids” Maleek, Mylie, Miles, Lucas, and Liberty. Visitation will be Sunday 4-8:00 pm, Monday 2-9:00 pm with a funeral service Tuesday at 11:00 am at Resurrection Funeral Home, 40800 Hayes Road, Clinton Township, MI 48038. Burial will be at White Chapel Cemetery, Troy, MI. Memorial donations to the family would be appreciated. Visit online at www.resurrectionfuneralhome.com.

When Michelle L. Touchtone-Polut walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Michelle was and how she impacted those around her. Michelle was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Michelle wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Michelle was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

Michelle was born on July 3, 1982 at Holy Cross Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. She was the daughter of Lynn and Jeff Touchtone. Michelle was raised in Roseville, Michigan. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person. While some who knew Michelle might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Michelle was always in pursuit of life’s endless possibilities and opportunities available to her.

Michelle was raised with two siblings. She had an older sister Jen and a younger sister Amanda. Michelle was very accepting and supportive of her family. She was perceived as the central person in her family in terms of keeping communication open between the family members. Whenever discord or tension arose within the home, Michelle was typically the member who brought about resolution and harmony. These traits served Michelle well in her adult life and, along with her wit, outgoing personality, and understanding of others, drew the admiration of many who knew her.

As a young girl, Michelle was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Michelle was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. In her spare time she liked to have fun with family and friends and always loved animals. Michelle's memorable achievements included. Michelle had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared might discover.

During her high school years, Michelle responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from Roseville High School in 2000. Michelle was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Michelle absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Michelle, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Michelle a good listener, knowing that when necessary, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. Her favorite class in high school was "skipping". The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Mrs. Escheberg.

With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Michelle was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Michelle was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Ambr, Tory, Shannon Morany, Shannon Johnson, Bill Burgess, and Shannon Ydrogo. Later in life, she became friends with Heather Sharkey, Erikla, Patricia Rodriguez, Stacy Johnson, and many others through the rescue.

Michelle's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Sean's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Michelle was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

Michelle was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Michelle, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Touchtone-Polut home. Michelle's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Michelle was blessed with five "furry" kids: Maleek, Mylie, Miles, Lucas, Liberty.

Michelle was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was the founder of Loveabull Paws Rescue. Michelle was enterprising, inventive and working against deadlines seemed to energize her. Michelle had the uncanny ability to identify a win/win solution to just about any problem, possibly because of her gift for insight. Michelle's fellow workers saw her as a supporter and a mentor.

Because Michelle loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were rescuing dogs. Michelle had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Michelle's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

Michelle's love of improvising in her daily life was a perfect fit for her enjoyment of traveling. Her favorite vacations were ones that were not planned. Traveling in a casual manor fit her personality well. Excited about seeing changing scenery and constantly looking for the enjoyment life could offer, Michelle took her vacations seriously, well, as seriously as she possibly could. Favorite vacations included Niagra Falls.

Michelle Touchtone-Polut passed away on November 26, 2014 at henry Ford Hospital, clinton township, Michigan. Michelle fought a brave battle with lupus for many years. She is survived by her husband Sean, her sister Jen Gonzalez (Tony), Amanda Carty (Justin), her nieces Hannah, Alena and Ellery, nephews Joey and Adam, Grandma Pat Harms, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Services were held at Resurrection Funeral Home, Clinton Township, Michigan. Michelle was laid to rest in White Chapel Memorial Cemetery, Troy, Michigan.

There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Michelle. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Michelle Touchtone-Polut for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Michelle was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.