Cover photo for Michelle Jacob's Obituary
Michelle Jacob Profile Photo
1944 Michelle 2021

Michelle Jacob

January 8, 1944 — September 28, 2021

The live stream will begin with a eulogy at 10:30 am on Monday, October 11th at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/MuehlebachFuneralCare

For Michelle Sterlin Jacob, family was everything.
From when she was a little girl in Haiti cooking surprise treats for her dad to when she became a wife and mother, guiding her children and extended family to realize their dreams.
Michelle believed in lifting up her family and took education very seriously, laying the foundation for her children to excel in science, medicine, law, engineering and information technology.
"Her life was dedicated to making things happen for everyone," said William A. "Lou Lou" Jacob, her husband of 55 years who also worked with Michelle at the family firm, Voila Engineering Services in Kansas City. "Her dedication was to my happiness and her kids wellness and education. She was my moral compass."
Michelle was born on Jan. 8 1944 in Les Cayes, Haiti, to the late Viergella Sterlin and George Douyon. She was the sixth child of eight and managed to stand out among her siblings for her statuesque beauty, calm demeanor and generosity. She moved to Chicago in 1968 with her husband and daughter, Dr. Dominique Jacob Smith.
"I remember her as having a very soft voice, but seemed to have a commanding presence," said her nephew, Dr. James Petit, of Baltimore, MD., who lived with Tante Michelle in her home on the South Side of Chicago when his family immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1980s. "I remember feeling very comfortable there. I remember Michelle as someone that my mother spoke of frequently as a major source of support to her, especially during her challenging times in Chicago."
In fact, Michelle helped many in the family, including her mother, settle in the U.S. by offering up her home as their landing base during various times of need.
Her niece, Sandra Sterlin, was one of them. She lived with her beloved aunt for four years in Kansas City in the 1990s. She received countless hours of school support and love, Sterlin said. During that time, Michelle became much more to her than just her aunt.
"She is like a second mother," said Sterlin, who credits Michelle for helping her become a nurse. "I am who I am because of her guidance."
Barbara Jacob Mungin, her youngest daughter, said her mother had such a gentle soothing spirit.
"She believed in being kind to other people so that people could be kind to her children," explained Mungin. "If you are mean to other peoples children, somehow that would come back to your own children. She always tried to make peace."
Dr. Smith agrees.
"All she wanted was to protect us," said Smith, a prominent gynecologist who splits her time between Sarasota, Fl. and Atlanta, Ga. "To be a mother, a caregiver that was her mission in life."
William J. Jacob, Esq., who is also a patent engineer, said his mother taught him the importance of family.
"My mother was the glue that held our family together," he said. "She taught us all how to love and sacrifice unconditionally."
An avid embrodery stitcher, Michelle, was lovingly called Michou and when she lived in Chicago, she worked as a nurses assistant at South Shore Hospital. When the family moved to Kansas City in 1984, she continued in the same job at St. Joseph Medical Center, where she would subsequently pass away on September 28. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism, said her daughter, Dr. Smith. She was 77.
Some of her best friends also were her family. She assembled them at her house every Saturday night with marathon dinners and TV viewings of The Love Boat and Fantasy Island, to all her nephew and nieces delight.
She preferred to stay at home and occasionally would go to Haitian music balls to dance the night away with her soulmate, Lou Lou. "I enjoyed her calling me with her shopping list, I will miss my Friend and second mom" says Rachelle Jacob Wolfolk, who is a computer scientist.
She loved listening to music, especially to her favorite crooner, Lon Dimanche, who also hailed from her hometown of Les Cayes. Her favorite song was "Mon Inconnue," My Unknown. Her husband said it was their song.
Loulou and Michelle grew up on the same block and he has known her for pretty much most of her life. She was the shy girl next door, he said. They lost touch with each other after he went off to university. They met again, by chance, in Port-au-Prince, when an old friend asked him and Michelle to become the godparents of his child. He was smitten by her presence and convinced her to go on a lifes journey with him.
"Concrete is brittle and steel is elastic, but when you put those two together, you can create quite a bond." said William Jacob, a civil engineer. And thats what he had with Michelle, a solid and enduring union.
"We had a plan and we accomplished all of it," he said. "I am a lucky man."
Besides her husband, Michelle Jacob is survived by her children, Dr. Dominique Jacob Smith, William J. Jacob,
Esq., Dr. Babara Jacob Mungin and Rachelle Jacob Woolfolk, who she loved and cared for like her own daughter. She also leaves behind seven grandchildren, Dr. Nichole Smith, Cory Smith, Nicholas Woolfolk, Michael Jacob, Bryce Mungin, Khloe Jacob and Jean-Jacques Jacob.
She also is survived by her siblings, Advie Doublette of Deland, FL; Edler Sterlin of Chicago, IL; Eliette Casimir of Palm Coast, FL; Francoise Sterlin of Chicago, IL; Jeanine Petit of Port St. Lucie, FL; Martha Paule Daye of Scottsdale, AZ; and a whole host of nieces and nephews. Her eldest brother, Antoine Sterlin, passed away in 2016.
Visitation will be 9:30-11:00 am Monday, October 11th at St. Catherine of Siena Church, 4101 E. 105th Terr., Kansas City, MO followed by Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am.
To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Michelle Jacob, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.


SERVICES Rosary
Monday, October 11, 2021 9:30 AM
St. Catherine of Siena Parish 4101 E 105th Terr Kansas City, Missouri 64137
Visitation
Monday, October 11, 2021 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
St. Catherine of Siena Parish 4101 E 105th Terr Kansas City, Missouri 64137
Mass of Christian Burial
Monday, October 11, 2021 11:00 AM
St. Catherine of Siena Parish 4101 E 105th Terr Kansas City, Missouri 64137

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Michelle Jacob, please visit our flower store.

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