OBITUARIES

Michele Desiree Coleman, affectionately known as “Micki”, was a generous, strong, adventurous woman, devoted wife and mother, loving sister, cherished aunt, special cousin, and wonderful friend. She finished her earthly fight to begin rejoicing with the Lord on November 21, 2024. She was born on August 12, 1954, in Mount Vernon, New York to the
late Bishop Kelly L. Basnight and Mother Carrie Norman Basnight. She was the third of 6 children and was raised in a home built on the love of God and the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

From a young age, she loved to praise and worship the Lord at her family’s church, The Redeemed Church of Jesus Christ in Mount Vernon, NY under her father's leadership. She received the Holy Spirit at 13 years old and would go on to serve and worship the Lord for her entire life. Her strong faith in God would provide her with unsurmountable strength and determination throughout her various health battles.

Michele graduated from Mount Vernon High School and the Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School. She served as Vice President of Human Resources at Xerox and held other significant positions at Loral Electronics, the United Way, and the American Red Cross. Micki married her forever love, Lionel “Earl” on August 28, 1980, and were blessed with two
beautiful daughters, Kaici Linelle and Sharice Danielle.

The family relocated to Fishkill, NY in 1989. They attended Faith Temple Church of God in Christ in Beacon, New York for 25 years under the leadership of Pastor Michael Dandridge. They would later rejoin the family church, Redeemed Church of Jesus Christ, under the leadership of Pastor Richard Garner, and she served on the Trustee Board.

She loved serving her local community and you could find her volunteering weekly at the soup kitchen. She enjoyed her morning workouts at Gold’s Gym and would enjoy spending time with her “gym friends” even outside of the gym.

For her 60th birthday, she conquered a major goal and hiked Mt. Beacon, a memory she would always happily remember. She loved traveling and some of her favorite vacation trips were to the Bahamas, Jamaica, France, and Italy.

Spending time with her family was when Micki was the happiest. She always looked forward to the holidays and special occasions to spend quality time with her family. She was a gifted baker and cook, and some of her specialties included brownies, chocolate cake, pepperoni bread, and macaroni and cheese. She enjoyed singing, playing Uno, and Phase 10, drinking specialty teas, and her favorite pastime was cheering on her New York Yankees! She loved attending games in person, and watching them on TV, and when her eyesight began to fail her, she would listen to the games. One of her favorite memories was meeting her all-time favorite Yankee, Bernie Williams.

Micki inspired countless people with her relentless faith in God and perseverance throughout her challenging medical battles. Even during the most difficult times, she always had a word of encouragement to all who she encountered. She held fast to her faith and motivated everyone else to do the same. She never gave up on Christ and would never let you give up on Him either.

She is survived by her beloved husband of 44 years, Lionel “Earl” of Fishkill NY; her daughters, Kaici of Fishkill NY, and Sharice of New Milford, CT; siblings, Norma (Brad) of Columbus, OH, Andrea of Wappingers Falls, NY, Rodger (Allison) of Sanford, FL, Mark (Lisa) of Travelers Rest, SC, and Lisa (Dexter) of Taylors, SC; three cousins “brothers”, George of Queens, NY, Richard of Mount Vernon, NY, and Phil of Advance, NC. She also leaves to her memory a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends whom she loved dearly. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Tom Hester, and three special cousins, Curtis Garner, Celestine Garner, and Maxine Funderbirk.

Micki was an extraordinary woman who was cherished by those who knew her. Although her earthly presence will leave an unspeakable void, we will hold fast to her love and memories to help sustain us.