Michelle Burton-Knapp

Michelle Burton-Knapp (Shelly) would consider herself one of the lucky ones to experience a life well lived. She was a constant source of strength, guidance, and calm to those around her. For those that knew Shelly well, they knew her sweet and soft kindness hiding behind a sassy, controlled bravado. Dearly loved, Shelly will be forever in the hearts of those around her.

On May 30th, 1982, James and Valerie (Evans) Burton of Battle Creek, Michigan welcomed their daughter, Michelle, into the world. Shelly was born into a year of great music, with songs like “Eye of the Tiger,” “Hurts So Good,” and “Tainted Love” climbing the charts. Shelly was a great fan of these songs but was more influenced by the generations of The Beatles, swing, doo wop, and golden oldies like “Runaround Sue.”

Growing up, Shelly was a typical young girl of her generation. She and her older brother, Matt, enjoyed trips to Cedar Point, traveling the U.S. with their parents, and tubing on the lake.

Shelly had a lifelong love for all animals, especially horses. As a young girl, Shelly learned to ride and jump horses, and later became an accomplished Hunter-Jumper Equestrian. In her peak year, Shelly and her horse, Fletcher, won the McCann Series High Point Children’s Hunter Trophy, a highlight of her show career. Beyond the glamour of horse showing, she could often be found at the barn grooming her horse, taking others to pasture and cleaning stalls. Despite the dust and heat, these tasks offered a certain peace and therapy for Shelly through the years. As Shelly continued her years at Windsong Stable, she became known as one of the best horse show starters ever. Her good humor, quick wit, and attention to detail kept the show ring running smoothly and on time. She began her starting career at Windsong Stable shows and later added shows at Albion, Waterloo, and Meadowview. Her husband, Corey, even became part of the jump crew, and together, their dynamic made for quite the show. She was all too thrilled to bring her daughter, Maisey, into the horse world. Not just for the sport, but to share her love for the horses themselves.

Shelly attended Lakeview Schools in Battle Creek, Michigan. While there, Shelly dabbled in theater, but truly enjoyed playing clarinet and occasionally saxophone for the school band. Moreover, she took great joy in playing for the Lakeview Spartanaires pit band and jazz band. There, she had the opportunity to travel for competition and spend time with friends along the way. Following her high school graduation, Shelly continued her education at Lake Superior State University. She began studying with an interest in zoology, and later earned her B.S. in Biology. Shelly moved to Colorado in hopes of beginning her career in zoo keeping. She worked as a day camp counselor for a time at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, but life had other plans and Shelly would shortly return to Michigan.

After moving back to Michigan, Shelly went back to school and earned her Medical Assisting degree at Jackson Community College. Shortly after, she started working in Battle Creek with Kalamazoo Gastroenterology/Hepatology (KGH). Her manager recognized her talent and urged her to take on the triage line at their Kalamazoo office. Shelly’s talents poised her to go on to build a successful career for herself working in Medical Assisting, phone triage, HEP C management, and later electronic medical record specialist. Shelly spent the better half of 15 years developing and maintaining the user interface for the company’s electronic medical records. KGH would go on to sell the business to Ascension. This was an anxious place for Shelly because she didn’t know the new systems and she thought herself to be obsolete. Thankfully, two ladies with Ascension recognized Shelly’s talent and offered her a place with their Clinical Informatics team.

While in college, Shelly met Corey Knapp in February 2001. They met by happenstance at a birthday party for a mutual friend. They sat by one another for the entire evening. Shelly was entertained by Corey’s humor, while Corey became infatuated with Shelly’s smile. Neither of them knew that this would be the moment that fate would bring them together, and a great love story would unfold. While at the university, Shelly and Corey’s romance was easy and they spent countless hours together. During summers, Shelly and Corey would only exchange letters and occasional phone calls to keep in touch. The classic sense of their relationship created a deeper sense of togetherness. Shelly and Corey would part ways for a moment after he graduated college. It only took Corey a few months to realize he made a huge mistake and begged to get Shelly back.

Shelly and Corey were engaged on May 29th, 2005. She and Corey married on October 14th, 2006. Shelly and Corey would have celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary and 23 years of togetherness this fall.

The two shared a mutual love for old architecture, and throughout their years together, they were able to enjoy traveling the world. For their honeymoon, Shelly and Corey took a trans-Atlantic cruise through France, Spain, and Italy. Shelly loved to walk through the old cathedrals and landmarks. A few years later, they took an Alaskan cruise with friends and family to marvel the expansive views and nature. Perhaps their favorite trip would be a river cruise through Hungary, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. Shelly was especially captivated by the Cologne Cathedral. Other favorite trips through the years include the Smoky Mountains, Asheville, and Punta Cana. While traveling, Shelly, and her sweet tooth, often lead the way. She always insisted on finding the best ice cream, cakes, and other desserts wherever their adventures took them.

Traveling allowed them to see and experience endless history, architecture, culture, and food! In that, Shelly became quite the foodie and delighted in dining with friends at new restaurants. Her love for fine foods turned into a love for cooking for herself, family, and friends. Shelly’s favorite food to make was risotto and she loved finding different variations for her and Corey to enjoy. Shelly had a curiosity for many hobbies after her early days of equestrian riding. She dabbled in cycling with Corey, knitting a blanket for Maisey, word searching, the occasional wine and canvas, and gardening.

Shelly was content with the life she and Corey built together, but her ultimate joy was having Maisey in her life. Shelly thrived as a mother. The excitement and sheer joy on Shelly’s face said it all when she would pick Maisey up after work. Maisey was the center of Shelly’s world, and she was devoted to Maisey in every way. She found excitement in the simple things, like taking at least one photo of Maisey every single day. Shelly wanted Maisey to experience the world around her, and she wanted to be there for every “first” moment in Maisey’s life. Shelly planned every weekend with trips to the nature center, museums, zoos, and parks. With other experiences like fossil digging, playing in the creek, gymnastics, and swimming, Shelly did everything she could to fill Maisey’s life with joy and wonder.

Cancer should have no place in a person’s story, but Shelly would want it to be known that she fought courageously. In the spring of 2023, Shelly was diagnosed with metastatic bile duct cancer, a rare and aggressive form of liver cancer. Shelly endured eight grueling months of chemo treatments. In January 2024, Shelly and her family were given a small window of hope with a liver resection surgery where they would remove 70% of her liver. Despite knowing the odds were against her, Shelly marched into the storm for herself and her family. Through it all, Shelly still fought to keep Maisey entertained, happy, and fulfilled. Unfortunately, Shelly’s cancer returned only months after her surgery. The cancer had already spread into other spaces causing complications where her body could no longer bear the burden.

She was loved by her parents, brother, sister-in-law, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. With Corey’s family, Shelly always considered herself fortunate to be surrounded by so much love. Shelly was the quiet type, but her smile could light up any room. It was easy to see Shelly’s unwavering strength and unconditional love for Corey and Maisey. A devoted wife and mother, Shelly was loved by many and will be deeply missed.

Michelle Burton-Knapp, age 42, died on July 14, 2024. She is preceded in death by her father, James Burton; and grandparents: Leonard and Maxine Evans, Fred and Mickey Burton. Surviving are her husband, Corey Knapp; daughter, Maisey Knapp; mother, Val Burton; brother, Matt (Emily) Burton; aunts and uncles: Jackie (Lee) Gremore, Janet (Kipp) Katz, Brenda (Mick) Iden, and Christine Beaver; and several cousins, nieces, nephews.

Cremation has taken place. Please join us at a Life Story Celebration where food, drinks, and stories will be shared on Monday, July 22, from 1-4 PM at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900. A service will begin at 4 PM.

Celebrate Shelly’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com. Through your memories, Maisey will grow to know her mother and how wonderful she is to all who know her. Memorial contributions may be made to Humane Society of South Central Michigan. Some have expressed interest in supporting Maisey’s continued education. If you are interested, please make checks payable to Maisey Knapp, in care of Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, MI 49009.