By Joe Mancini
Published in September 2021
It was a sad day at The Working Centre when we learned that Michelle Snyder had died of COVID at home in mid-June 2021. Michelle was a dedicated worker whose contribution was legendary.Her ability to work cheerfully by finding jobs within Working Centre projects that needed her energy was a constant gift.
Michelle’s ability to work long hours and her thoroughness on every job was a rare quality. In the last 10 years we have called on Michelle for hundreds of cleaning jobs. The hardest jobs were apartment clean ups, made necessary when someone was moving, a death or a change in units. Michelle could wade through sometimes very chaotic situations, but she had a calming, supportive presence as she worked her way through messes. When Michelle took on a cleaning job, you knew everything would look amazing when she was finished. Michelle was also a champion dishwasher and stove cleaner. She was a regular worker at Maurita’s Kitchen, and was always available between 3:00 – 5:00 to do final clean up. Her drive to clean up at the end of the day was always appreciated.
Michelle found the garden almost 10 years ago and it became her refuge. She had her own schedule. When Michelle showed up at the garden, it was not long before there were fewer weeds and the grass was cut. Ron Doyle adored Michelle, he would always talk about how much she cared for the garden.
Adam Kramer, Rachael Chong and Vanessa Ong, co-workers at the Market Garden shared some memories of Michelle. Here is what they wrote:
“We would like to share that the garden community is grieving an immense loss. Our dear friend and co-worker, Michelle, passed away suddenly last week. Many of you would know Michelle – perhaps seeing her mowing the lawn during CSA pick-ups at the garden. She spent the last 10 years working in the garden (among many other Working Centre projects), and it was a regular occurrence that we’d return to the garden on a Monday morning only to find that she’d spent the weekend weeding and mowing!
“What a godsend! On hot days she’d show up with freezies for everyone and we’d share a laugh as we cooled down in the shade together. Another co-worker described her as a beautiful soul – open, caring and resilient, determined, spirited, humble, kind, giving, beautiful all the way through. She taught us the power the garden holds for healing and friendship, for hard-work and intangible rewards. It’s hard to convey what she’s meant to the garden and to the people that she encountered there. We desperately miss her already and are deeply grieving the loss of our friend.”
When we were starting up the Discovery Team in downtown Kitchener, Michelle agreed to help out, as we needed experienced people to build and develop the program. The photos that accompany this article speak for themselves by capturing Michelle’s joy at work.
Michelle’s impish smile we will be missed by all. Michelle had many challenges navigating the world. She gave of her spirit and energy to keep things friendly, clean and orderly. We are grateful that she found both a place of work and a place of peace in The Working Centre community.
