Michelle Ann StClair

Michelle Sereres St.Clair – activist, musician, student, artist, adventurer, devoted friend – gracefully made her exit from the mortal stage, amidst the fireworks, on July 4, 2021, at KU Medical Center.

Michelle’s story began July 30, 1949; born to Edgar Paul Sereres and Leona Margaret Nothnagel Sereres of Kansas City, Kansas. She was a proud resident of Wyandotte County in her youth, and enjoyed countless fond memories with her brother, Richard A. Sereres, who preceded her in death, and her sister, Janice L. Sereres Feikert, as well as a large family of loving cousins and family friends in the Kansas City, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas area.

Stars aligned in 1968, when Michelle met Don St.Clair – a charming, radical, ornery, philosopher who came in selling typewriters to the office where she worked. Their connection was immediate, and they were married the same year. Michelle gave birth to her first child, Chad St.Clair of Independence, the next year.

Michelle, or “Shelly” as she was called as a girl, was always sensitive, kind, caring. She was greatly affected by the civil rights turmoil of the 1960s, and was active in marches, meetings, and various other campaigns for social reform – work for which she was extremely proud all her life.

Don and Michelle, in 1970, began the Foolkiller in Kansas City, Missouri. The Foolkiller began as a small storefront building on 31st Street – a former chicken-plucking factory, which Michelle and Don spent their wedding night cleaning. The Foolkiller was many things: a theater for plays, most written by Don St.Clair, costumes made by Michelle St.Clair, and actors from the community; if you wanted to act, you would get a part. Michelle and Don also created the Foolkiller as a forum for discussions, music performances by local and traveling musicians, and open mics; the idea being that if you could talk you could sing, hold an instrument you could play, and had interest you could join. Parties were often held after performances on the weekends - parties full of political and philosophical debate, music, laughter, hooch and food, and frequently lasted until dawn.

Together, Michelle and Don did everything. The Foolkiller also began two haunted houses in Kansas City, two of the first. They also began Folk University offering theory classes “For the Hell of It,” and bought a farm in Arkansas. With the very hard work of a large group of friends, the group built bunkhouses and community gathering spaces, showers, a well. There, members of the Foolkiller (and anyone from Kansas City, or anywhere for that matter, who wanted to join) would gather for theory classes, concerts, discussions, dips in the swimmin’ hole, and just enjoying a fantastic time together. Many highly esteemed musicians of various styles were brought to the farm to perform – Glenn Orlin, Ramblin Jack Elliot, and many others.

The seeds of the Foolkiller and Folk University, though Michelle and Don left the care of it to others in the 70s, eventually grew into CrossCurrents of Culture and Communiversity, both active groups in the Kansas City area. Michelle has always been extremely grateful to those who took up these endeavors and who have kept the work of her and her husband Don’s - not just in continuing something for which she had a passion, but for helping it evolve and helping it to thrive.

In 1977, Michelle gave birth to their daughter, Adrienne St.Clair of Kansas City, Missouri, who survives her. Michelle, with great grief, lost her husband, Don, after 22 years of happy marriage, in 1991. Michelle and her daughter, Adrienne were always close, and Michelle was an enthusiastic supporter and dedicated champion of her daughter’s musical aspirations; there was never a concert, performance, competition, or even lesson she missed. She loved hearing her daughter play the violin.

Michelle, once Adrienne was off to music school, decided it was time to return to the workforce. In 1995, she began working for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, largely in the Minority Entrepreneurship Department. There, she was an “executive administrative assistant” – though Michelle always hated that phrase, and preferred to “just be called a ‘secretary.’” During her 25 years working at the Kauffman Foundation before her retirement in January of 2020, Michelle saw many changes: her department, the people she supported came and went, even the heads of Kauffman and board members changed over the years. One thing, however, that never wavered, was her. She was, and will forever be known for, her unwavering work ethic, discretion, unyielding support of anyone and everyone (whether she officially supported them or not), not to mention her unfailing kindness.

Michelle became sick in March of 2020, and in May she received the diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, brought on by a genetic mutation most likely a result of the radiation treatments she received to treat (and which helped beat) her colo-rectal cancer in 2003. Undergoing a month of treatments, then eight rounds of chemotherapy between June and January of 2021, her leukemia was in remission. After much discussion with her daughter/caregiver, she decided to have a stem-cell transplant; it was the only chance to ‘cure,’ or get rid of the cancer. Together, they chose hope. On April 7, 2021, Michelle received her daughter’s stem cells at KU Hospital during a month-long stay.

The stem-cell transplant went well. In fact, at one point, Michelle’s body had fully accepted her daughter’s stem cells and she and her daughter were genetic “blood twins” – an amazing scientific and medical achievement – and given their closeness, made them even happier. However, after not feeling well for some weeks, and a bone marrow biopsy, the doctors found the cancer had returned on June 21st. Undaunted, Michelle immediately began a round of chemotherapy to fight the cancer. She went to clinic every day for a week for treatments, filling the clinic with her radiant smile and joy in seeing everyone; she was feeling relatively well, and enjoyed long drives in the countryside, watching old movies on TCM, watching and listening to birds, and just talking with her daughter – they never ran out of things to talk about.

On Wednesday morning, June 30th, Michelle would not wake to go to the clinic for a follow-up. This lead to a five-day stay in KU Medical Center, mostly spent with her daughter, but also visited by some family and family friends. She passed at around 9:21pm on July 4th, in peace and comfort.

Most family and family friends were not aware that Michelle was sick at all, and that was as she intended. Michelle was always proud, private, and pragmatic; she never wanted to be a burden, and she wanted to be remembered for who she was, not her illness. Michelle was an artist – a writer and a painter; she was a lover of all the arts, especially folk art. Always an adventurer, it didn’t matter if she was a few miles from home or in another state or country – it was always about the journey and she was always on the lookout for a road she had not taken before. Those that know and lover her, know that she was a loyal friend, a fierce advocate for underdogs, a devoted mother, garden-putterer, and dog lover. She had a smile that would make your heart swell, and a laugh that was infectious. She was unflinchingly kind. Michelle said “hello” or “good morning” to almost everyone she saw; she wanted everyone to feel seen, to feel appreciated. She was not always the best at reaching out to people, but her love and respect for her friends and family was unwavering. Earnestly, she wished everyone the best that life had to offer. Both she and her daughter were profoundly grateful to those family and friends who were there with love and support during her illness; your kindnesses shall never be forgotten - you made her final roads much smoother and brighter to travel.

She and her daughter would like to express their profound gratitude to the doctors and staff at the KU Bone Marrow Transplant Clinic Westwood (Blue Team), to the nurses and staff at KU during her stem cell transplant, as well as the nurses and staff during her final stay in KU Medical Center’s ICU. We could not have made it through these past 18 months, let alone enjoyed them together so much, without your assistance and support. Thank you, all of you, for the care and love you gave Michelle throughout these difficult months.

Part of Michelle’s ashes will be buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, in the future, near her father, and part of her ashes will be scattered where her husband’s ashes were scattered, on the hill overlooking the St.Clair family homestead in Harlan, Kansas. A gathering to celebrate Michelle’s life will be held in the future, details will be made known once arrangements are made. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Urban League of Kansas City at www.ulkc.org or, if preferred, a perennial plant (flowering or not) may be sent to her daughter for a memorial garden at their home.