'You couldn't find two more wonderful people,' friend says

John and Shirley Micheel wanted others to feel as if almost every day was Christmas.

By Paul Levy, Star Tribune

Last update: August 21, 2007 - 12:29 AM

John and Shirley Micheel wanted others to feel as if almost every day was Christmas.

"John was involved with conservation groups, and he insisted that everyone in Lewiston have a fresh Christmas tree," Marlys Thesing, a friend, recalled on Monday. "And Shirley knew everybody and wanted to take care of everybody.

"You couldn't find two more wonderful people."

John, 67, and Shirley, 66, of Lewiston, Minn., died Sunday when their car slid into a flooded ditch in nearby Stockton.

They are survived by three children, two grandchildren and two lifetimes of memories.

A bow-hunter and member of the Lewiston Sportsmen's Club, John recently buried his father, Thesing said, "but was always too busy giving and asking about others to let anyone feel sorry for him."

Shirley Micheel, a breast-cancer survivor, was a longtime high-school secretary who "had a good word for everyone," Thesing said.

PAUL LEVY

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