Micheline Correll, a widely recognized and much-admired resident of Martha’s Vineyard for nearly 30 years, died suddenly at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital on June 16, 2018. She died in the loving presence of her sons Steven Correll and Alexander Parris.
Born Micheline Lauture on April 11, 1962, in Middletown, Conn., she spent her first 16 years in Connecticut. She moved to Gardner in 1978. A hard worker from the beginning of her life, Micheline worked part-time in the Gardner Social Security office while a teenager in high school. She graduated from Gardner High School in 1980, and entered the U.S. Air Force, where she trained as an aircraft mechanic. She FIXED the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle tactical fighter-combat aircrafts! Those fly at 1,656 mph! Micheline, a self-described “tomboy,” was the ultimate feminist. She didn’t just talk about being equal in a man’s world, she was the real deal, equal on all fronts, and a complete trailblazer in the Air Force and in the world of aircraft mechanics. She had remarkable physical power and strength packed into her tiny frame that allowed her to accomplish many tasks that plenty of women, or men, could not. She was truly a force of nature.
When she left the New London Air Force Base, she continued her education at East Coast Aero Tech, graduating with high honors. Micheline was a licensed airframe and powerplant technician. For 20 years, Micheline was a member of the Roger P. Warfield American Legion Auxiliary Unit 373 in Baldwinville.
Micheline’s personal life included one marriage and two sons: the first son, Steven, born on March 20, 1983, in Alexandria, La., during her Air Force years; and the second son, Alexander, born on Jan. 27, 1989, in Cambridge after she met his father at East Coast Aero Tech. That summer, she and her boys moved to Martha’s Vineyard.
Micheline worked at Martha’s Vineyard Airport as an aircraft mechanic for many years while she raised her two boys, but eventually started her own property maintenance, caretaking, and cleaning business. For her clients, she was a one-stop shop, as she could also restore furniture, boats, and airplanes.
Like many Vineyarders, Micheline was a person of many interests and talents. She loved spending time with her sons and grandchildren, first and foremost, but she also loved photography, jewelry making, and gardening. She was an avid collector of cobalt blue dishes and ornaments. She loved music, and enjoyed Island performances, often dancing with her friends. To those privileged to call her their friend, she was formidably loyal. Tough and discerning, but sensitive and compassionate, Micheline was the kind of friend that would never let you down. She often put the well-being of her family and friends before her own comfort. She had a great big laugh and a great big heart. She encouraged her kids, and her friends, to pursue their own dreams. She believed in making one’s best effort, and lived her own life with that same integrity of effort. She encouraged her son Alex, with whom she shared a home at the time of her death, to follow his dreams and passions; to put effort into things he was good at, but to never give up on things he loved, even should those things take more effort.
Tiny in stature, but larger than life in spirit, goodwill, humor, intelligence, work ethic, and energy, Micheline Correll is loved dearly and dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.
Micheline’s sons and grandchildren were the center of her daily life, and she leaves behind not only her beloved sons Steven and Alexander, but her grandchildren Jade Correll, Rocco Barrick, and Ruby Barrick, all of Martha’s Vineyard.
Micheline is survived by her parents: her mother and stepfather, Linda and Ernest E. Amidon Sr. of Gardner; as well as her father, F. Marcel Lauture of Indiana.
In addition, Micheline is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Renee and Vern Aldrich of Indiana; her brother, Jean-Pierre Lauture of California; her aunt, Shirley Jacobsen of Wisconsin; and her uncle, Bruce Jacobsen and his wife Sheila of South Carolina.
A celebration of life for Micheline will be held on Friday, Sept. 7, from 5 to 8pm at 301 North Rd. in West Tisbury. The celebration will be potluck style, and friends of Micheline are encouraged to bring photos and share stories of their memories of Micheline.
