Micheline Renee Rosenfeld

Micheline was born in Vincennes, France, the only child of Pierre and Marie-Louise Martin. When not picnicking in the Bois de Vincennes or sharing a goûter with friends, learning catechism, or studying, Micheline, who had no access to a telephone or television, spent many hours reading, drawing, and daydreaming on her balcony, from which you could see the top of the the local 14th-century castle keep. It’s likely there that she learned one of her signature qualities--the art of quiet contemplation. While she loved the warm embrace of her tiny apartment and the company of her dog, Câline, her happiest days were spent at sleepaway camp in the French Alps, where she enjoyed the wildflowers in the summer and skiing in winter. She also treasured her time spent in Lille, where she felt a deep connection to her father’s family.

The letters she wrote documenting her first trip to the United States with a student group in 1963 are richly detailed. She attended her first baseball game in Chicago, water skied in Wisconsin, and got Bob Newhart’s autograph. She marveled at the warmth and friendliness of the Americans she met, as well as the size of their homes and high schools. She eventually made her way west with a friend by Greyhound bus, where another recent graduate named Gary Rosenfeld, an American also traveling with a friend on his first trip around the country, spotted her and maneuvered to meet her in the Grand Canyon. They would spend the rest of the trip together.

Micheline returned to the States in the summer of 1964 to teach French at St. Mary’s College in Milwaukee. Once Micheline and Gary found someone willing to perform a wedding ceremony between an American Jew and a French Catholic, the two married in the autumn of 1966 in Tarrytown, NY, a union that would last 30 years. Micheline completed her Masters in Romance Languages and Literature at the University of Chicago in 1967, after which, eager to get back to Europe, she and Gary moved to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, where Gary took a research position at the new Max Planck Institute. Two years later, after traveling around Europe and France as much as possible, they returned to the States, where Gary took a post-doc opportunity at the Vanderbilt Medical School in Nashville. At Vanderbilt, Micheline pursued her doctorate, earning a Ph.D. in French Literature. It was during that time they met two other young couples living in their apartment complex near campus, the Rosens and the Schraders, who would become lifelong friends and Micheline’s surrogate family. In fact, they were at the hospital when Micheline and Gary’s daughter, Stephanie, was born in 1971.

One year later, Micheline and Gary were in Houston, Texas, where Gary accepted a job at the University of Texas Medical School (the Rosens and the Schraders, who’d sent their friends off with condolences to what they mistakenly assumed was a tumbleweed town, arrived soon afterward, having been offered positions at Baylor Medical School). Micheline spent those early years continuing to research her dissertation and, during the day, refusing to communicate in English so that her daughter was forced to learn to speak, read, and write in French. She filled the house with classical music and Jacques Brel.

With her doctorate in hand, Micheline worked as a paralegal for Baker & Botts, then as a translator for various oil and gas companies. She would also put her French and translation skills to work at the Alliance Française, and by volunteering to help French-speaking African asylum seekers make their cases. Over the years she would become mother to a number of cats--her own, a host of strays, and one neighbor’s pet who decided he preferred the French lady’s house to his own. All along, no matter what else was going on in her life, she never stopped feeding her intellect and expanding her horizons and perspectives through books, plays, films, and art. Her greatest joy was to indulge in an excellent, long meal accompanied by a good glass of wine and thoughtful conversation.

Micheline was committed to her Nia dance classes, her friends, and supporting environmental and animal causes. Having grown up in war-scarred France, she recognized the threat of Christian nationalism and fascism, and worked with the Bayou Blue Democrats and other organizations to help push back. She also volunteered with the Guild at St. Anne Catholic Church. Most of all, however, she doted on her family in Austin, visiting them as often as possible and showering them with love, challenging them at Scrabble and Putt-Putt, baking apple tarts and cooking simple yet exquisite meals, rarely relying on recipes. She also snuck forbidden treats daily to the family’s two dogs and two cats.

She was an outstanding mother, grandmother, and friend who loved deeply and never hesitated to let the people around her know how she felt about them. She is survived by her daughter, Stephanie, her son-in-law, Stephen, her grandsons Jacob and Adrien, her niece Leah Freilich, her orange tabby cat, Ernie, and an incredible tribe of friends.

In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to any of Micheline’s favorite organizations: ASPCA, Natural Resources Defense Council, National Kidney Foundation, or the Houston Zoo. Vigil and funeral information is available on this website, as is a video link if you prefer to attend the funeral virtually.