WORDS FROM MICHELLE'S GRANDDAUGHTER, HANA:

Dear GOD,
I loved Mimi very much. Please bless Mimi for her happiness and for her generosity. Now that she is in Heaven she can watch us. Amen.
Love, Hana

PASSAGE FROM ALEX SHARPE'S WORDS:

I am writing this from heaven where I dwell with God above, where there's no more tears or sadness, there is just eternal love. Please do not be unhappy because I'm out of sight. Remember that I’m with you, every morning, noon and night. And I will be beside you, every day, and week, and year, and when you're sad I’m standing there to wipe away the tear. But one thing is for certain, though my life on earth's no more, I am closer to you now than I ever was before. And when it's time for you to go, from that body to be free, remember that you're not going away, you're coming home to me. And I will always love you, from this happy land above, I'll soon be in touch again with you.

PS: God sends his love.

WORDS FROM EULOGY PRESENTED BY ERIC MARYANOV:

Born in Los Angeles on November 23, 1948, on her parents first wedding anniversary, Michelle Delmonte was the daughter of Ruth and Joseph Delmonte. Joseph was first generation American and Michelle strongly identified with her fathers Italian heritage. The DelMonte’s bought a home in Reseda, CA when the San Fernando Valley was still primarily filled with orange groves. Ruth was a stay at home mom and Joe worked as a trolley driver in Los Angeles….eventually he was hired on at The Gas Company. Joe also became golf pro at Van Nuys golf course. Five years later, Michelle’s sister Diane was born and 3 years later her brother Daniel.

Michelle attended Grover Cleveland High School in Reseda where she graduated in the class of 1966. Her long time friend, Janet, remembers her as an excellent student, always smart, but not a part of any club or organization. She and Janet enjoyed going to high school ballgames, they loved to dance and go to the beach. Following high school, Michelle attended Pierce College in Woodland Hills. She also landed her first real job, a part-time sales girl at the Broadway Department Store in Topanga Plaza. Michelle worked in the Lamps & Pictures Dept. Always persuasive, having started there first, she talked Janet into applying for a job as well.

Eventually Michelle moved on from the Lamps & Pictures department and worked as a dispatcher for the Los Angeles Police Department. It was there she met Jim Morgan, an LAPD Sergeant. After a whirlwind romance, they married in 1970 and had 2 daughters… Alisa, born in 1971 and Deirdre three years later in 1974. Jim had 2 children from a previous marriage, Laura and James. Laura has always remained a part of Michelle’s immediate family.

Michelle and Jim were divorced in 1977. In 1978, as a single mom with 2 young children, Michelle went to work for Peter Ueberroth, owner of Ask Mr Foster Travel Service. By then, Joe and Ruth, now known as Nana and Papa were living a mile away in Northridge, CA took on an active role raising the girls while Michelle embarked on her career in travel.

Eventually Ask Mr Foster was sold to Carlson Travel Network, a big corporate company.

A turning point in Michelle’s career was in 84 when Carlson started their franchise program and Michelle had the opportunity to work with true entrepreneurs (over the years, many of those same franchisees became members of Signature).

It was during her time at Carlson that Michelle met Karen...

Michelle's previous assistant had resigned after having a baby and apparently Michelle was calling Kelly temp service everyday and would say "that one wasn't good, send me another one"

This went on for a while before Karen got the call that would change both of their lives. In fact, Karen was called the same evening that she had taken the Kelly assessment test. After only a few hours working together, Michelle asked Karen "will you stay with me forever?" Michelle was always good at spotting talent. Having a good sense of people, when Michelle made a connection she knew instantly and followed her instincts, a personal trait that would serve her well in over the years.

Michelle remained on her career path in the marketing department at Carlson until an unexpected opportunity came along.

Bob Joselyn had been hired by a small So Calif travel co-op to conduct an extensive Executive Search to replace their retiring Executive Director. Having met and interviewed all but one of the candidates, Bob submitted his recommendation to the co-op's Board of Directors. It was Bob Dickinson who had provided Bob Joselyn the one candidate whose schedule did not match up for an interview. Realizing they would be in SEA airport with a 45 minute overlap, Bob and Michelle met up for a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, at that same time in Glendale Calif the Leisure Tours board of directors was already meeting to chose from the recommended candidates. Fifteen minutes into his discussion with Michelle, Bob excused himself to make a phone call.

Bob recalls his exact words when he reach the Board already in session…..SHE IS THE ONE…. Stop the Presses

Michelle shifted gears and went from Big Corporate to running a small Southern Calif based travel co-op, Leisure Tours.

When Michelle joined what was then Leisure Tours in Nov 1991. Karen was part of Michelle’s “original team”…. In fact, she was the team. As Karen describes it, when they arrived at Leisure Tours the office had only one Apple computer that was on a rolling cart that Michelle and Karen would roll back and forth between Michelle's office and the front office where Karen worked. They would take turns using the one computer. Sales were tracked by manual "vouchers" that members mailed in and of course accounting was a manual process and checks were hand-written.

As Karen describes those days: “We worked really hard and put in long hours, but we were having a great time changing things for the better. Michelle was always forward thinking and pushed the envelope to raise the company to the next level”

Karen recalls….many late night at the office, the two of them sitting on the floor stuffing 10x13 envelopes with weekly updates to be mailed out to the members. Along with building a company, Michelle’s executive duties included answering the phones, proof reading documents, making the coffee, cleaning the office and taking out the trash.”

Anyone who has had the opportunity to work with Michelle knows she was never above any type of work. She just pitched in to get the job done.

Michelle relocated Leisure Tours from the Glendale headquarters to what was then a small office in Marina del Rey (where Signature has since flourished and through multiple expansions has grown to take over ½ the floor.)

It was during this time she moved her home from Northridge to Manhattan Beach. Living in a 900 sq foot beach cottage she shared with her “boys” Griff and Montana, her 2 Labradors. Her home was known as Morgan Manor (a name that came with her from the Northridge house). Michelle took in everyone and was described as a mother hen, wrapping her "chicks" under her wings. She was always welcoming people to stay. As the company grew and staff was remote they would come to the LA office and stay at Morgan Manor. Karen recalls fondly “Many a night spent playing rummy at the kitchen table with a glass of wine or a few beers"

As Karen describes, Michelle always said that she didn't have designs to become a career woman and run a company. The only thing she ever wanted to do was be a mom and maybe run the PTA. But she could never do anything "half-way".

During the Owners Meeting Gala Dinner a few years back, we celebrated Michelle’s 20th Anniversary with what is now known as Signature Travel Network...

As she looked back on her 20 years at Signature, Michelle stated

“One of the greatest joys of my life is working with people that I have worked with everyday and who I like....who have become friends and an extension of my family”.

She also shared her simply philosophy by which she ran and BUILT the company...
    “everything we did ….was all about the member”

Michelle loved dogs but hated cats. She loved babies and whenever she had the opportunity, she'd be holding one on her hip. She was just a natural mom, both personally and professionally. She read voraciously. She loved to learn new things and study new subjects. She worked to ensure that everything she did was done meticulously and to the best of her ability. She had high standards for herself and those around her. She made everyone around her better.

In 1997 Deirdre graduated University of Colorado, with a degree in Veterinary medicine, an accomplishment that Michelle was incredibly proud of.

Michelle was diagnosed with a rare blood condition more than a dozen years ago. Even back then this diagnosis was a known precursor to leukemia. Silently and for many years, Michelle managed her blood disorder. Eventually... requiring she give herself injections any time she was going to be on a plane more than 2 hours duration. This did not curtail her travel schedule, nor did she ever complain about it...it was just something she dealt with.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, she fought that battle and won...
Like her mother some 40 years before her…. Michelle was a Breast Cancer survivor

Twelve years ago Michelle moved her primary residence to Oceanside where she shared a home with her Mother Ruth...her father having passed away some years earlier.

When not traveling, Michelle enjoyed her Oceanside weekends with both her daughters living nearby and her weekends were filled with activities with her grandchildren. And those special Friday night family dinners followed with a DVD movie for the grandkids, with her daughters, son in laws and her mother, all together. Her Oceanside home was family central.

Michelle and I have been best of friends for over 15 years. I remember it all began at an Owners' Meeting at the Four Seasons Newport Beach 1992. Michelle had assigned me the seat next to her at dinner. Starting that night and for years to follow, she kept pushing me to personally get involved in Leisure Tours, and for years, I resisted. But as you all know, YOU CAN ONLY SAY NO to Michelle for so long. Eventually joining the Signature board, where she made me promise to stay as long as she was running the company.

Over the years, I have flown more miles with her and seen more of the world than with anyone else in my lifetime.

So many trips and adventures...
from the Bridge climb in Sydney Harbor, hurricane storms in Fiji, riding wave runners in Tahiti, a road trip in New Zealand, dinners in Paris, a weekend in Berlin, multiple River Cruises….including the special AMA Cruise as her first role as a Ship's Godmother. Michelle, being the over achiever, had that honor a second time being the Godmother of Celebrity’s Silhouette.

There were the countless ports of call from the many cruises we sailed together. There was the Chunnel train to Paris and a day at Monet's Gardens. Together we toured the South of France and went on Safari in Africa and even went to Lands end TOGETHER. Countless experiences and treasured memories.

Although you all know me as Eric Maryanov, I am known at the finer hotels of the world as Mister Morgan. Once checked in to any hotel, I would always accompany Michelle to her room first, taking care of the bellman's tip…(as she never seemed to have small cash readily available ….if only those Bell Men took Amex, they would have made a fortune off her generosity). And the bellman would always say, “thank you Mr Morgan” after they left…we would laugh... I would then take my one bag from the pile of suitcase and go off to my room... I always wondered what those Bellmen thought was going on...

So many stories to tell, but one that stands out, it was July 2003.

We were staying at the London Hilton for one of the many ship christenings she attended in her life time. After the day's outing we returned to the hotel to a message waiting light blinking…. Michelle came out of the next room, with a dazed look...I asked..., what’s wrong??... She simply replied, “I am going to be a Mimi”. Alisa had left Michelle a message advising that she was pregnant with Michelle’s first grandchild. As we walked about London early that evening Michelle remained in her daze, sharing the news with anyone who would listen. Even telling the captive audience in the elevator at Selfridges... “I’m going to be a Mimi”

EJ was born in 2004, and Michelle would get to have that dazed look 3 more times, Hana born in 2005 and Bing Jr and Jack in 2007.

On Oct 18th 2012 (a year ago today), Michelle was diagnosed with acute leukemia.

I could speak to what a special person she was...but as evidenced by the distance people traveled here today, you already know that. I don’t need to tell you how beautiful she was not only on the outside but from the inside even more...you all know that too.

As her good friend Mary Twist recently described her, ”Beauty, ...brains,... grace,... poise... warmth and humor. The complete package!”

Michelle had such a unique way of creating special connections and relationships with so many different people. To each one of us she made us feel special.

Since her passing, the word that I hear to describe her most often is MENTOR. I don’t think she realized what a teacher and guide she has been to so many.

We all have our own Michelle stories to share as she touched so many lives

If our wealth is measured by the lives we have influenced, Michelle was the richest person I have ever known.

Speaking of influencing lives…as my friend ….we discussed may of life's decisions together. It was Michelle who convinced me to buy the home I live in today and that home is filled with many treasures purchased together as we traveled the world. She influenced my life in many other ways, in fact, it is she who takes the credit for Richard and I having met 5 years ago.

It was because of a change in plans she and I had (that SHE modified against my desires) that put me in the right place at the right time for Richard to enter my life... l should clarify ... he really entered both our lives…..as Michelle and Richard had their own special bond.

She was the first person I told that I had met someone special. And when I told her about having just met Richard … her first question was……”can we bring him to an Owners meeting….will he fit in??”

During one of our last times together in Houston, I was sitting with Dee and Alisa at Michelle’s bedside and a doctor entered the room. Michelle was sleeping and as he was trying to figure out all the relations in the room, he look at me and asked ”are you the husband???” instinctively and without thought I answered, “ I Wish”

I visited with Michelle again just days prior to her passing. She had been in the hospital for months and she had for me what I thought to be a rather odd request. She asked me to bring her $200 cash. When I asked her why, she said the nurses here have all been so nice to me, I want to buy them lunch. THAT was our Michelle…..always doing for others….

Sadly, her mother Ruth passed away just a few weeks before Michelle’s passing. Michelle is survived by her sister and brother and her daughters, Alisa, Dee and Laura… her honorary daughter, Karen. Her sons in law, Bing and Roger and her WONDERFUL grandchildren…. Kalia, EJ, Hana, Jack and Bing.

Finally, a THANK YOU…. to Alisa and Dee for allowing ALL of us to share in your mother’s life over the years…. For all the times she was not at home and those dinners missed… when she was not with you, we were blessed to have her with all of us…..THANK YOU…… Thank you for sharing her life with all of us….as she was such a powerful part of ours.

This past year, as WE have all been drawn closer together, I have witnessed how much you both share of your mothers grace, charm and mannerisms and I know how proud she has always been of you.

And to Michelle….. I simply say….”Love you, Miss you…. MEAN IT ! ! ! !”