Obituary: Emilia 'Amy' (Ariola) Michelsen, 68, Of Danbury

Information and Photo Courtesy Cornell Memorial Home

DANBURY, CT — Emilia “Amy” (Ariola) Michelsen, 68, of Danbury, died peacefully at Danbury Hospital on Friday, May 6, after a long and fearlessly fought battle with brain cancer. She was born on October 5, 1953 in New York, NY, daughter of the late Dr. Dominic and Philomena (Starace) Ariola. She was a graduate of Fordham University and went on to receive her Masters of Education from Sacred Heart University.

She worked for many years as a teacher at the elementary school level with a focus on reading. Once her children were grown, she transitioned to the business world and went on to become a senior financial analyst.

Amy was an incredibly active person that enjoyed hiking in the woods, especially Bear Mountain State Park, and taking long strenuous walks around her neighborhood. She loved working in her garden, shoveling snow and cooking huge Italian meals. However, her greatest love was her family. She was a devoted mother and grandmother. Nothing brought her more joy than her home full of family, sitting on the floor surrounded by her grandchildren or curled up on the couch reading to them for hours.

She will be greatly missed by her children, Christopher Michelsen and his wife, Pia, and Laura Costello and her husband, Andrew; her beloved grandchildren, Collette and Nico Michelsen and William Costello; her nephew, Antonio Cutlatsakes and his wife, Anna; and her great nephews, Leonardo and Dominic Cutlatsakes.

She was predeceased by her sister, Letitia Hakakian and her nephew, Stefan Hakakian.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, May 14th at 9:00am at St. Gregory the Great Church, Danbury. A private burial in St. Peter Cemetery will be on Monday.

The family will receive family and friends at the Cornell Memorial Home, 247 White Street, Danbury, on Friday between the hours of 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.