Alyse Marie Michalka

Alyse Cunningham Michalka died on January 25 in Lubbock at the age of 87 years old.  She lost a long battle with various health issues but gained the victory of everlasting life with her heavenly Father.  We give thanks to God for the many wonderful, loving, and joyous years we had with her on Earth and for her greater reward with her heavenly Father.

Alyse was a beautiful, charming, intelligent, strong, and funny lady.  Her long life was full of all the best that life offers:  faith, family, and friendships.

Alyse’s storybook life began in Gilmer, Texas, where she was born to Arch and Lola Cunningham.  She graduated from Leverett’s Chapel High School with 21 in her graduating class.  Leverett’s Chapel, Texas is so small it is not on the map.  She loved her classmates and other schoolmates as family and maintained friendships with them throughout her life.  She continued her education at East Texas State Teachers College, where she met the love of her life in a CPR class as a sophomore.  She was the president of her sorority and involved in numerous other organizations during college.  She graduated in three years with a Bachelor of Science degree.

After graduating, she and her love, Joe Michalka, were married.  Last year, they celebrated 64 years of marriage.  While he was completing his master’s degree, she taught in Ladonia and Sabine.  When they moved to Lubbock, she started teaching at Atkins Junior High.  She quit teaching upon the birth of her first daughter, Susan, and then had a second daughter, Shara.  Later, she returned to teaching and taught physical education at Evans Junior High for over 10 years and at Wheelock Elementary for 17 years.  She retired after 30 years of teaching and touching the lives of many teachers and students.  She was passionate about her students, education, and the impact that education can make in students’ lives.

A woman of faith, Alyse found her faith home in her beloved First Baptist Church, where she was a member for almost 50 years.  Shortly thereafter, she joined the Samaritan Sunday School Class, where she was a steadfast member until the COVID-19 Pandemic.  She loved the members of her class and cherished their friendship.

She loved people and could sit for hours talking to friends and strangers, who became friends.  One of her greatest joys was giving parties in her lovely backyard to visit with friends and family.  She was curious about people’s lives and how they ended up where they were in life.  She had an incredible memory for recalling people’s names and interesting facts of everyone she met.  She also could easily provide historical facts and exact dates of important events. 

A lifelong learner, she loved to read about history, biographies, and the Texas Bar Journals.  She also loved Louis Lamour’s books, mysteries, and, really, anything.  She also was a member of several organizations, including the Lubbock Women’s Club, the Lubbock Study Club, the Lubbock Antiques and Collector’s Club, the Trowel and Error Garden Club, and PEO-Chapter FJ.  Her secret talent was the ability to spell any word, even in later life as her memory struggled.

Always ready for an adventure, Alyse loved to travel, camp, and fish with her family and friends several times a year.  The summer after her retirement at age 60, she backpacked through 16 countries in Europe.  In the early 1980’s, Alyse was a leader for Explorer Post 806, a coed high adventure Boy Scout troop.  She enjoyed many adventures with them, including climbing Guadalupe Peak, sailing a yacht in the Bahamas, running the Piedra River in Colorado when it was an impossible class 5, and backpacking the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon and climbing out in a blizzard.  

Throughout her life, she maintained a keen interest in history and her family genealogy.  She spoke often with her relatives and was the repository of her family’s history.  As a result of her genealogical research, she was able to establish memberships in several organizations, such as the National Society of Colonial Dames of the 17th Century - Kerenhappuch Norman Chapter, First Settlers of the Shenandoah Valley, First Families of Tennessee, Descendant of Valentine Hollingsworth Sr Society, Daughters of the American Revolution - Nancy Anderson Chapter, Flagon and Trencher - Descendants of Colonial Tavern Keepers, The Sons and Daughters of the Colonial and Antebellum Bench and Bar 1565—1861, National Society of United States Daughters of 1812, and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.  She also spent a great deal of time detailing the lineage of her husband’s Silesian family.  

As greatly as she valued her professional career and adventures, she invested much more in her family.  She is survived by her husband, Joe Michalka; her two daughters Shara Michalka and Susan Michalka Hicks (Larry); her grandson Huston Hicks (Emily Crawford) and great-grandson Harris Hicks; and her granddaughter Hailey Hicks Richardson (Taylor) and great-granddaughter Ella Richardson.  She also is survived by her sister Anyse Tinner, 22 nieces and nephews that she adored, and many friends that are considered family.

A celebration of Alyse’s beautiful life will be held at First Baptist Church in Lubbock on February 1 at 10:00am with Pastor Bobby Dagnel officiating.  Burial will follow in Cameron, Texas, at Saint Monica’s Catholic Cemetery.  The family will receive friends at Combest Funeral Home on January 31 from 5:00-6:30pm in the Suite.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Gilbert Herrera Evangelistic Association in care of First Baptist Church, 2201 Broadway, Lubbock, Texas 79401.