Michele Marie Craycroft, 67, passed away on July 12, 2017 in Springfield, Missouri.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Springfield, Missouri on August 12 at 11:00 am with the Reverend Father Colby Elbert.
Michele was born in Santa Monica, California to James R. Craycroft and Mary Jane McGrath on 6/30/1950. She attended high school at Westminster High School in Southern California and graduated in 1968. She went on to study at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles before moving to Florence, Italy where she lived for many years throughout her life before eventually settling in her adopted hometown of Springfield, Missouri in 1992. Michele earned a BA in French and Italian Studies and a JD at the University of Arizona.
She was an avid lifelong learner and a voracious reader, fluent in French and Italian and a lover of theatre. After retirement, she frequently took classes at Missouri State University in a variety of subjects.
Michele was a brilliant attorney who specialized in municipal bonds. She started her legal career with a firm in California, joined Kutak, Rock & Campbell in Omaha, Nebraska, Fields & Brown in Kansas City, and finally, Yates, Mauck & Bohrer in Springfield.
Michele was a compelling stage actress, equally adept at comedy and drama. She started as a child in California when she was cast as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel. Michele tackled challenging roles at her beloved Springfield Little Theatre, including Ma Joad in “The Grapes of Wrath.” Her most recent work was Italian dialect coach and dramaturg for a production at Springfield Contemporary Theatre.
She was an advocate for social justice, especially for the poor and marginalized. She worked as a public defender during her long legal career, and she wrote passionate op-ed pieces against the death penalty.
Michele is preceded in death by her parents, James R. Craycroft and Mary Jane McGrath and a brother, Stuart Craycroft.
Michele is survived by her daughters: Monica (Alkis) Tsolakis, Olivia (Andrea) Balzarini, Emilia (Tim) Brown and Joanna Carlson, her grandchildren William, Sharon, Georgia, Nina, Marco, Max, Anna, Dora and stepgrandchildren Panos, Eleni, Marika and Michelle. She is remembered by her brothers and sisters and her extended family and many dear friends all over the world.