Michael Francis Belisle

Michael Francis Belisle died of liver failure on October 2, 2024, at his home in Allen Park, Michigan, a complication of a long-troubling autoimmune disorder. He is sorely missed by his beloved husband Paul McCullough and their many friends and family members:

Dearest brother of William Belisle, Barbara (Thomas) Svoboda, and Lynda (Brian) Franke. Michael is also survived by his nephew, Nicholas Svoboda and his niece, Elizabeth (Caleb) Kaselnak, as well as his grand-nieces Margot and Eleanor. Many cousins also mourn his loss.  Michael was preceded in death by his parents Francis Jay and Betty (Walling) Belisle.

Michael was passionate about many things: he loved reading and libraries and had gathered an encyclopedic knowledge of many topics throughout his life.  What he couldn’t keep in his head, he amassed in large collections of books.  He loved the truths that only fiction could tell.

Michael began work as a young teen delivering newspapers in the early mornings and saved his earnings for college.  He was also the best Page that the Allen Park Public Library ever hired.  His passion for librarianship is the motivation behind his sister Barbara’s career.

Michael graduated from the University of Michigan – Dearborn campus, commuting from home for the first year before moving into an apartment on Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit. He studied computer science in an age when programming included compiling reams of computer punch cards.

Recently retired from Blue Cross, Michael was also an instructor at the Michigan Tai Chi Association in Livonia.  He made many friends through that work and traveled with some of them to China one year, fulfilling a life-long dream.

He was an amateur carpenter, specializing in remodeling his home kitchens, as he loved to cook.  Mike and Paul maintained a summer cottage near Bayfield, Ontario, across the bridge in Canada.  They enjoyed spending weekends there, relaxing, walking along the beach, reading, and attending the Stratford Shakespeare festival.

Michael was an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights.  He and Paul regularly visited with many friends and logical family in San Francisco and attended the Frameline film festival. They were married there on their 25th anniversary on June 29, 2013, when the legal system finally caught up.

Michael was a deep thinker, prone to cynicism.  He believed firmly in his views and held us all to very high standards. But when he smiled and his blue eyes shone, the world glowed.

Gone far too soon, we will celebrate Michael’s life on what would have been his 67th birthday – October 19, 2024, from 2-6 pm at Weise Funeral Home, 7210 Park Avenue, Allen Park, MI 48101. A eulogy will be shared beginning at 3:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lambda Legal Fund or the Nature Conservancy.