Michele Marie Magill

Michele Marie Magill died suddenly on October 8, 2024, at her home. She leaves behind her children Ian and Eloise, daughter-in-law Shea, granddaughter Lily, and husband Jeff. Michele was born in Métlaoui Tunisia, a small oasis town on the Algerian border at the edge of the Sahara. Her parents were Joseph Lucas and Genevieve Manuad.

Michele’s father was a civil servant for the French government. His work required extensive travel and thus Michele lived many different places as a child, including Tunisia, Morocco and Senegal. She recalled moving as many as five times in one year. Finally, the family, now including little sister and brother Mylene and Thierry, settled in the port city of Sète on the French Mediterranean coast near Montpellier. Michele graduated from Paul-Valéry high school in Sète at age 15, second in her class. She was a good student and loved learning. In fact, she spent nearly her entire life as either a student or teacher. Michele admired American culture from an early age. She would carry a pocket transistor radio around everywhere so as not to miss when The Beach Boys Good Vibrations played. After a few more years of school and work, she fulfilled her dream of visiting the U.S. She and a friend pick up a ’65 Mustang at a Drive-Away service in Newark, NJ. When they stopped for gas, they asked the attendant, “Which way is Hollywood?” He pointed at the Manhattan skyline and advised, “You go the other way.” When Michele was nearly finished with her first college degree at the Université de Montpellier, she was fortunate to snag an exchange student position at Dickinson College, a small private school in Carlisle, PA. Her dorm had the library on one side and the cafeteria on the other. She was in paradise. The next academic year, she was able to get an exchange post to the University of NC. Her love of Southern American literature made it a perfect fit. She came to North Carolina and fell in love. The Carolina geography, climate and people compelled her to stay. She lived in a few different places in NC, but never again outside its borders. She became a Tar Heel, and the tar had her feet stuck fast. Michele entered a PhD program at UNC and completed her doctoral thesis on a study of Marcel Proust’s “À la Recherche du Temps Perdu,” which was published by Oxford Press. Upon graduating UNC, Michele became a professor at NCSU in the languages department. She taught French language, culture, cinema, and of course, literature. She loved teaching and made learning enjoyable for her Wolfpack students. Michele estimated she taught 10,000 students during her 38-year tenure. Michele received the NCSU Alumni Distinguished Professor Award in 1996, the only time ever that honor was bestowed on a language professor. After retiring in 2015, Michele moved to Morganton with her daughter and husband to be near her son and his family.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials be made to:

Food Pantry, www.bucm.net/donate-now

Library, www.libraryfoundationbc.org/donate

Humane Society, www.burkecountyfriends4animals.org/index.php/give

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.

Kirksey Funeral Home of Morganton has the honor of serving the family.

Online condolences may be made at www.kirkseyfh.com