Michelle Christy Merlino

When Michelle Christy Merlino 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 November 25, 1978 at Burns Hospital in Burns, Oregon. She was the daughter of Michael and Roxanne Merlino. Michelle was raised in Oregon, California, Michigan, and Nevada. 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 had five siblings- one sister, Sabrina; two step-brothers, Matthew and Carlos; and two step-sisters, Tiffany and Carla. 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. Michelle took part in baseball, track, cheer leading (school and competition), and was a member of the Girl Scouts. 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 Lakeshore in Stevensville in 1998. 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. In addition to participating in the Miss Stevensville Beauty Contest, classmates will be remember Michelle for her love of boys and skipping school!

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. Michelle had too many friends to name while growing up, but later in life she became best friends with Heather, Rhosonda, Doug, Greg, and Amy.

Michelle was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life’s possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupations were as a model and a cocktail waitress. 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 bowling and dancing. 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 derived much satisfaction from participating in and watching sports. Her charisma, supportive nature and ability to improvise when called upon to do so all made perfect attributes for enjoying a great many sporting activities. In high school, Michelle ran track and participated in competition cheer leading. Recreational sports included bowling. Michelle was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were NASCAR, college football (Michigan State Spartans), NFL (Raiders), and Ultimate Fighting.

Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Michelle's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included being Miss Hawaiian Tropica and being in the Hooters Calendar.

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 Bahamas, New Mexico, and Cancun.

Michelle was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. One of her favorites was Crimson, a Pit Bull, was a best friend for 2.5 years. Her family was rounded out by her cat, Beepers, who was a best friend for over 10 years.

Michelle Merlino passed away on February 23, 2011 at UMC Hospital after fighting a brave battle against Leukemia. She is survived by her father, Michael Merlino; mother, Roxanne Merlino; sister, Sabrina Drake; step-brothers, Matthew McArthur and Carlos Palacios; step-sisters, Tiffany Martinez and Carla Martinez; nieces: Desiree, Makayla, and Kara; and stepmothers, Karen Parker and Carla Merlino. Services were held at Palm Mortuary, Eastern Chapel.

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 Merlino for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Michelle was always more than willing to share life’s experiences with her loved ones.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Eastern Mortuary, Los VegaS, NV.