Michelle Louise LaMay

Michelle Louise LaMay, 77, passed away peacefully on March 8, 2024, in Pueblo, Colorado. She was a beloved member of her Richmond Apartments assisted living community in Pueblo where she lived for the past 3 years.

Michelle was born January 16, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri. After a divorce she moved from St. Louis to Durango, Colorado in April 1974 with her two young sons. She loved Colorado and lived in Durango, Silverton, Leadville, Aspen, Fruita, Longmont, Denver, Center and La Veta Colorado.

Even though she was an unconventional single mother, she raised her sons to be independent and driven, with Chris becoming a custom home builder in Colorado and California and Steve founding and selling multiple software companies.

A life-long learner she earned numerous degrees: an A.A. in Liberal Arts from Merrimac Community College, A.A. in Drama Colorado Mountain College (Aspen), a Paralegal degree from Denver Paralegal Institute, a BA in Communications from Mesa State College (Summa Cum Laude) at the age of 45 and then later a Master's Degree in Education from University of Colorado Denver at age 58.

Michelle lived a rich and colorful life. She was a waitress and bartender for 3 years in Durango. She was one of the original female underground workers in the mines of Silverton and Leadville (Climax) from 1977-1982. She taught English in South Korea for a year, then was a paralegal in Denver and most recently a long time Denver Public Schools substitute teacher. She utilized her A.A. in Drama from Colorado Mountain College as a stage and film actor appearing in numerous plays and short film productions and volunteered her time on more than 30 student films in the various Denver-based colleges. She was a long-time marijuana legalization advocate and her efforts greatly helped with the legalization of marijuana in Colorado. She founded Cannabis University to help companies, police departments and District Attorneys navigate the Colorado marijuana laws. Lastly, she was a journalist and author having just sent a novel off to a publicist before her untimely death.

Michelle was a voracious reader and top patron of public libraries wherever she lived. In her younger days she greatly enjoyed Colorado outdoor activities such as fishing, skiing, race-walking, camping and hiking with her two burros (Pearl & Ruby), plus epic motorcycle journeys with her life-long friend and companion Chuck. She was also a gourmet cook and talented gardener, often winning county fair prizes for her rhubarb pies. Her Pueblo apartment friends raved about her Tres Leches cake.

Michelle is survived by her son Steve Roch (Lorie Moreno-Roch) of Boulder, CO and grandchildren Tyger (Boulder, CO), Christian (Walla Walla, WA) and Lincoln Roch (Silverthorne, CO), grandson Zach Roch and daughter in-law Tracy Nieto-Roch (Yucaipa, CA) and her sister Renee LaMay-Stremlau (Joe Stremlau) of St. Louis, MO. Additionally, she is survived by her best friend and life-long companion Chuck Weiss (Center, CO) and his sons and their families Ken Weiss (Wellsville, CO) and Darrel Weiss (Murrieta, CA).

Michelle was preceded in death by her son Chris Roch, grandson Samuel Roch, sister Elaine LaMay, her parents George and Dorothy LaMay and her ex-husband William Roch.

A celebration of life and lunch reception will be held on Sunday, March 17th at 12:00 pm at Imperial Gardens Funeral Home, 5450 Highway 78 West, Pueblo, CO.