Michele Cecilia (Knies) Mehringer, 46

Michele Cecilia (Knies) Mehringer, 46, of Evansville, passed away Friday, December 20th, at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis after an acute attack of TTP, a rare blood disorder. 

Shelly was loved by all who met her and will be greatly missed by her family, many friends, colleagues and students at Christ the King, St. Benedict Parish, Reitz Memorial High School and her hometown of Jasper. Her outward beauty only paled when compared to her inner beauty, tenderness and kind heart.

Shelly was a woman of strong faith and had been an active member of St. Benedict’s for the past 20 years and previously at Holy Family in Jasper. Shelly was a loving mother and wife who raised her children to be strong, independent and faith-filled. She was an avid runner and a regular at yoga; she enjoyed music, art and cared for all animals. For years, she could be seen running on the near east side of Evansville, often with one of her dogs in tow. She was a member of St. Benedict’s choir and had been president of the school’s PTO. She was a strong believer and supporter of Catholic education and whole-heartedly enabled her husband’s work for the Catholic schools and church. Shelly’s greatest source of entertainment though was IU basketball, and she enthusiastically followed them since attending college there.

Shelly taught art at Christ the King School for the past 12 years and previously at Holy Spirit and St. John the Baptist. When her children were young, Shelly earned a second bachelors degree to be credentialed as a teacher. She loved her students and took great satisfaction in seeing them grow in their skills and appreciation of art. She believed every one of them was capable of being an artist and enjoyed the works they created. Shelly was also a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and prior to teaching, worked for Momentum Textiles in California, and P&I Supply and Card Management in Evansville.

Shelly is survived by her loving husband of 19 years, Robert; daughters, Maria Elizabeth and Margaret Ann, of Evansville; step-son, Robert Dane, of Kansas City; her mother, Lucille of Jasper; and seven brothers and sisters: Joe (Jeanne); Jeff (Paula); Mona Hoffman (Bert); Marla Giesler (Jeff); Dana Welp (Doug); Jane Balsmeyer (Mark); and Glenda Begle (Rick), all of Jasper. She is also survived by her husband’s family: Mother-in-law, Louise, of Evansville; Dennis, Jr. (Noriko) of Pasadena, CA; Margaret (Jim) of Amarillo, TX; Laura (Lewis) of Denver, CO; Marilyn of Highlands Ranch, CO; Marlene Bowen (John) of Santa Claus, IN; Barbara (Dennis) of Centennial, CO; Joseph (Martha) of Barrington, IL; Ben (Julie) of St. Louis, MO; Glenn (Linda) of Brownsburg, IN; and Theresa (Paul) of Centennial, CO; as well as by numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her brothers, Tim and Steve, her father, Raymond, and her father-in-law, Dennis Mehringer, who was never shy about letting her know how much he loved her.

Visitation will be Friday, December 27th from 2 pm to 8pm at Ziemer Funeral Home East Chapel, 800 S. Hebron Ave, Evansville with a memorial service at 7pm. Visitation will continue Saturday morning from 8:30 to 9:30am at the Funeral home.

Funeral Services will begin at 9:30 a.m.at the funeral home and continue with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am at St. Benedict Cathedral, 1328 Lincoln Ave., with Fr. Godfrey Mullen, OSB, presiding.

Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made toward the Michele Mehringer Art and Prayer garden to be built on the campus of Reitz Memorial High School or to the Michele Knies Mehringer Endowment for Art Education to benefit Christ the King, Reitz Memorial High School and St. Benedict Cathedral schools, or to the Catholic Education Foundation for tuition assistance.

Condolences may be made online at www.ziemerfuneralhome.com.