Michele A. Bleeke

Michele A. Bleeke (Biase) was born on November 15th, 1946 in Orange, NJ. She grew up on Riggs Place in West Orange under the care of her father and mother, Michael Biase and Antoinette Capasso. She graduated from West Orange High School in 1964 and Montclair State University in 1968. She continued to live in West Orange for most of her adult life until January 1st, 2019, when she passed away peacefully at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ at the age of 72. She is survived by her loving children, Jenna Bleeke and Christopher Bleeke, as well as their father Jeff Bleeke.

Michele was most widely known as an elementary school teacher within the West Orange School District. She left behind a legacy — both as “Ms. Biase” and “Ms. Bleeke” — as a result of her continuing dedication to her many students. She loved her students as if they were her own children, and demonstrated an unbridled passion for her craft. Michele specialized in Music Education at Washington Elementary School for 10 years, and later taught as a classroom teacher within Mt. Pleasant Elementary, receiving a master’s degree and a Governor’s Teacher Recognition Award along the way. She additionally devoted her time as a long term substitute at Pleasantdale Elementary (now known as Kelly Elementary), and Hazel Avenue Elementary School, attended by both of her children. Michele is also remembered for her effective private piano instruction, as she taught songs on her baby grand piano to curious minds within the comfort of her cozy living room. She expanded upon her musical abilities even further within the education setting by writing and performing witty, comical, and creative musical parodies in tribute to her retiring colleagues — and they were sure to return the favor at her own retirement dinner.

Behind the scenes, Michele was a multifaceted individual. On a Thursday night you could find her boisterously cheering along with her fellow faculty bowling league buddies at Eagle Rock Lanes as she clinches another high score — but then you might find her sitting quietly in solitude on her sunlit porch, contemplatively reading a favorite fiction novel by Stephen King, Catherine Cookson, Dean Koontz, or maybe Mary Higgins Clark. If she wasn’t calmly sitting and playing soothing classical music on her baby grand, then you might find her bouncing to the beat of a bluegrass tune as she dabbled with the bass fiddle. Either way, whether it be in church, in a band, or in the car, you could always find her swaying her shoulders and singing cheerfully.

Michele was very intelligent, and carried with her an extensive vocabulary. She was an avid contender in the game of Scrabble and a whiz at Wheel of Fortune. If you were not up to the challenge of word games, however, she would be happy to take you on in a friendly hand of poker. Either way, when the fun and games ended and everyone went home, she would be known to bring closure to those summer nights on her own with a quiet game of solitaire or a crossword puzzle.

Michele was all about family — and if you were a lucky friend of hers, she welcomed you into her family with open arms. Her loyalty to her loved ones was unparalleled. She loved her son and daughter more than anything, and proudly devoted her life to them. Michele also extended her tender love to all animals of the earth, adopting cats and dogs from shelters and providing them with a beautiful life in her home, all while making sure the little birds in her backyard gardens had some seeds to pick through and some clean water to bathe in. There was always a special place in her heart for the fragile and innocent, and she cherished the little things.

As a Master of Education, Ms. Bleeke believed that the best kind of education came not from a chalkboard, but from Mother Nature. Somewhere on the final page of the closing chapter of her life, this quote would surely be found:

“Let children walk with nature. Let them see the beautiful blendings and communions of death and life, their joyous inseparable unity, as taught in woods and meadows, plains and mountains and streams of our blessed star, and they will learn that death is stingless indeed, and as beautiful as life.” - John Muir

Visitation will be held on Sunday, January 6th, from 2-6 PM at the Quinn-Hopping Funeral Home — 145 E. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039. Funeral service will be held on Monday, January 7th at 10:30 AM at the funeral home, with interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, NJ. Memorial contributions in Michele’s name may be made to the Humane Society.