Antoinette Michelson

May 11, 2012

Antoinette "Toni" Michelson, 89, of 40 Sunset Ave., Lenox, formerly of Birchwood Lane, died Friday morning, May 11, 2012, at Kimball Farms Nursing Care Center. Toni was the daughter of Giacinto and Giuseppina Alberti Mogavero. She was born in New York City in Little Italy, and she spoke Italian before she spoke English. When she was five years old, her parents moved to Pittsfield, where she attended public schools. She graduated from Pittsfield High School in 1940, and later graduated from the former Berkshire Business School in Pittsfield. After high school, Mrs. Michelson worked for Berkshire County Superior Court as an assistant clerk, and then worked for several years as a reporter at The Berkshire Eagle. It was there that she met her future husband, Abraham Michelson. They were married on November 21, 1953, and remained together for nearly fifty years until Abe's death in 2003. After having children, Toni did not work for several years. However, after her children were older she returned to work and taught at Berkshire Country Day School in Lenox. Later, she taught English as a Second Language, and also returned to writing in the Public Relations Office of Berkshire Medical Center. Toni was a devoted mother and grandmother. She was bi-lingual, and traveled to visit her relatives in Sicily on several occasions. She also volunteered for many years as a recorder for Recording for the Blind. Toni was a voracious reader, and she loved to search for books in the Lenox Library. She also loved taking advantage of many of the cultural places and events that the Berkshires offer, such as Tanglewood, the Clark or other museums, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Many weekends she and her family would take advantage of one or another of these offerings. She was a member of the Vineyard Community at the former Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox and in recent years was a communicant of St. Ann's Church in Lenox. She is survived by one son, Peter Michelson and wife, Lisa Wood, of Medfield, Mass.; one daughter, Elena Michelson and husband, Ken Kirchhofer, of Timonium, Md.; and three granddaughters, Marisa and Abigail Michelson, and Olivia Nammack. FUNERAL NOTICE: A Liturgy of Christian Burial for Mrs. Antoinette Michelson, will be celebrated Tuesday, May 22, at 11 a.m. at St. Ann's Church by the Rev. Christopher J. Waitekus, Pastor. After the ceremony there will be a reception at the St. Ann's Parish Hall. There are no calling hours and burial will be in St. Ann's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations in Mrs. Michelson's name may be made to the Salvation Army in care of the ROCHE FUNERAL HOME, 120 Main St., Lenox, MA 01240.