Michelle Elaine "Mickey" Watroba

Michelle Elaine "Mickey" Watroba of Dexter, Ohio, formerly a long-time resident of Detroit and Downriver Michigan, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2022 of complications due to chronic illness. Michelle was 72 years old.

Mickey is survived by her long-time life partner, John "Jack" Sullivan, daughter, Lisa Marie Watroba-Brown and son-in-law James A. Brown, son, Eric Wayne Johnson, step-daughters Jaclynn (Sullivan) Schneider, and Joann Sullivan, granddaughters Jade Brown and Makayla Lynn Fall, grandson Jacob Brown, one niece and two nephews in Michigan, and numerous cousins throughout Michigan and West Virginia

Raised in Southwest Detroit and later Allen Park, Michigan, Mickey attended public and parochial schools, and received her Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation at St. Henry Parish in Lincoln Park where she also attended grade school. Mickey went to Allen Park High School in Allen Park, Michigan, attended Virginia Farrell Beauty School, and later attended Schoolcraft College.

As a teen and into her early 20's Mickey modeled for area businesses, most notably Annis Furs of Detroit. Mickey returned to modeling for a brief period later in 30's with Annis Furs. Mickey loved her hometown of Detroit and the Motown music scene. She spent Saturday afternoons as a teen with her friends at the "Motown Revue" at Hitsville Recording Studio "On the boulevard" watching the upcoming Motown stars. She met several Detroit legends over the years at these shows, cherishing those days.

Mickey was the first female member under the position of Operating Engineer in her union, Local 324, Detroit. She was also a member of the labor union, Local 337, Detroit. Her positions in her trade demanded her to be involved in extremely difficult work from loading ships on the docks of Zug Island at Great Lakes Steel in Detroit, to construction of the Fermi II Nuclear Plant in Newport, Michigan as well as the Monroe Coal Burner Plant in Monroe, Michigan. Mickey ate dinner with the crew on the Edmund Fitzgerald just two nights before it tragically sank in Lake Superior.

Mickey grew up boating with her parents on Lake Erie from a very young age. She absolutely loved the water, fishing, and eventually bought an historic wooden Chris Craft that she restored herself. Mickey was also an avid motorcycle enthusiast and even built her own motorcycle, a "trike". Her affection for Harley-Davidson motorcycles from the time of her teens carried on until her last breath. She was an avid rider her entire life, and she loved to be on the open road on the back of a Harley. She attended many biker rallies all over the country over her lifetime, and made many life-long friends doing so.

Mickey and her beloved partner Jack relocated to the Ohio Valley in 1995. Mickey loved the quiet and peace that the hills and countryside of her home in Ohio provided. Mickey's son, Eric, shared a mutual love of motorcycles and he no doubt inherited his love of fishing from his mother. Mickey loved keeping up with her flowers and traveling to see her grandchildren several times a year in Arkansas. She was a familiar face around her daughter's parish of St. Joseph in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and made many friends there over the years. Her memory will forever be with many, many friends in Michigan, Ohio, and Arkansas.

Mickey will be dearly missed. We will celebrate her colorful life on Thursday, October 13th, at Ralph Ridge Memorial Chapel in Trenton, Michigan, from 6-9pm. A Funeral Mass at 10am at St. Hedwig Church in Detroit will take place on Friday, October 14th, with Christian Burial to follow. A Motorcycle Procession will carry Mickey in a glass Harley Hearse adorned with red roses into Michigan Memorial Park, her final resting place. Mickey is home, at rest, and at peace with Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Click on tribute wall above to view Mickey's memorial video.