Obituary of Michele Ann Foster-Ingels

Michele Ann Foster was born on November 4, 1972, in Monroe, Michigan. She was one of two daughters born to the union of Brent D. Foster and Patricia A. (Clark) Foster. Shel, as she was lovingly known, was educated at St. Anne Catholic School. Michele was baptized and confirmed at St. Charles church in Newport. She was the lead in many theater plays, varsity cheerleader and swim team captain graduating in 1990 from Jefferson High School. She then attended Central Michigan University on a Theatre Scholarship. During the summers Shel lived and worked at Cedar Point and Mackinac Island. She completed her bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations at Eastern Michigan University in 1998.

In the same year Michele graduated she also met her future husband, Steven L. Ingels. The couple were joined in marriage on October 14, 2000, in a double-ring ceremony at Saint Michael Parish in Monroe. Post graduation Michele opened and ran a Steve & Barry’s retail store in Monroe for three years before moving on to her greatest accomplishment motherhood. Michele was a wonderful mother supporting the needs of her twin children Rachel and Will. She was a mother bear who would nurture and care for her children above all else. She served with the Monroe and Temperance Road Elementary PTO’s and was an active and cherished member of the Bedford Football Parents Club, volleyball, and the robotics program where she treated all kids as her own earning the name Mamma Ingels. Her culinary skills were legendary as she often provided meals for the teams. Shel was well known for her delicious mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies, chicken soup, and chili which won the 2024 Temperance Oddfellows people’s choice and judge’s chili cook off awards. Each year she prepared English trifle for her father on his birthday. Her passion for cooking was so profound that her husband Steve encouraged her to open a restaurant.

Shel was an avid photographer, capturing everything from beautiful family moments and maternity pictures to stunning landscapes and comp shots for her daughter. She was a lover of nature, taking great pride in her yard and garden, to ensure her home was surrounded by beauty she had cultivated herself. Shel cherished the holidays, transforming her home into a festive wonderland, especially for Halloween and Christmas, much to the delight of visitors who were always amazed by her decorations. She loved water and swam like a fish in her parent’s pool, competing in high school, swimming with dolphins in Punta Cana and with humpback whales during her honeymoon in Bora Bora, the pool at the house, and most recently in the Atlantic at a beachhouse rental.

Michele Ann Foster-Ingels, age 51, of Temperance, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Her passing was preceded by a miscarried son: Brandon Ingels; maternal grandparents: Josephine and William Clark; paternal grandparents: Josephine and Leon Foster; her father-in-law: Lionel Ingels; a sister-in-law: Carrie Ingels; and her four-legged companions, dog: Lola and cat: Rico.

To cherish her memory, she leaves her beloved husband of more than twenty-three years: Steven Ingels of Temperance; her parents: Brent D. and Patricia A. Foster; two children: twins Rachel Ingels and William Ingels both of Temperance; a sister: Jodi (Tarantej) Chana of Alpharetta, Georgia; many cousins, nieces, and nephews and her two pups: Lulu and Liam.

Friends may gather on Friday, May 3, 2024, from 2:00pm until 8:00pm at Merkle Funeral Service, South Monroe; 14567 South Dixie Highway, Monroe, Michigan 48161 (734) 241-7070. A Celebration of Her life will take place on Saturday May 4, 2024, at 11:00am, also at Merkle’s. Cremation will follow through Covenant Cremation of Erie, Michigan, a division of Merkle Enterprises, Inc.

Memorials are suggested to an animal rescue charity of the donor’s choice. Online guests may leave words of inspiration and comfort or share a photo by visiting www.merklefs.com.