Terre Haute, Indiana - TERRE HAUTE - Michele DiGrazia Townsend passed away peacefully on October 18, 2025. She was born on October 22, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois, to Joseph J. and Bernice (Mientkiewicz) DiGrazia. Michele attended parochial school as a child and later graduated from Loretto Academy of the Immaculate Conception High School in Chicagos Woodlawn neighborhood. She went on to study English at Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado.

After teaching high school English for two years, Michele began a new chapter at MCA Records in Los Angeles, where she worked in artist communication and promotion and eventually became Director of Public Relations. During her time at MCA and throughout her career in the recording industry, Michele met many of the eras most celebrated artists, including Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Loretta Lynn, John Denver, and Marvin Hamlisch, among many others. She even had the honor of meeting President Jimmy Carter.

In addition to her work in music, Michele briefly owned and operated Conrads Colonial Steakhouse & Lounge in Atlantic City - a popular spot just steps from the famed boardwalk and beach. In 1980, Michele founded her own public relations firm, The Media Connection, before relocating to Dallas, Texas. In 1986, she sold the firm and began a successful new career in real estate and investment properties, which she continued with enthusiasm until her retirement in 2018.

Throughout her life, Michele touched countless lives and formed many cherished friendships - connections she valued deeply and nurtured with love, for as long as she could. Michele had a special gift for brightening the world around her. Whether through a kind word, a clever remark, or simply by walking into a room, she made people feel lighter and happier. Her laugh was warm and genuine, the kind that would lift any mood, and her smile was so heartfelt and inviting that it instantly made you feel at home.

Michele is survived by her husband, M. Smith Townsend; her brother, Tom DiGrazia (Ina); her sister, Bartholomae Bart Hershman; her nephews, Joseph DiGrazia, J. Richard Allison Jr., John Allison, and Robert Allison (Sandra); her niece, Stephanie Hershman; her stepchildren, Brett Townsend (Pam) and Shawn Townsend (Majed Hobbi); and her step-grandchildren, Jessica Townsend (Aaron Sanders) and Matthew Townsend (Aglael Ortiz Ortiz).

She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph J. DiGrazia (2009) and Bernice Mientkiewicz DiGrazia (1998); her sister, Annette Allison (2019); her stepson, Michael A. Townsend (1982); and her brothers-in-law, Richard Allison (2011) and Howard Hershman (2020).

There will be no memorial service at this time. A private gathering for friends and family will take place at a later date, to be determined.

www.greinerfuneralhome.com