Lorraine Merry Michel

Lorraine “Lorry” Merry Michel passed away peacefully on September 17, 2024 at Bayleigh Chase in Easton, MD. She was 71. She was born on August 16, 1953 in Jersey City, NJ. She attended Dickinson High School there before her family moved to Westover, MD. She graduated from Pocomoke High School (Pocomoke, MD) and Salisbury State College (Salisbury, MD). While at SSC she found her passion for athletic training and continued her studies at Indiana State University (Terre Haute, IN) where she received her Master’s degree in 1976 and completed requirements to become a Certified Athletic Trainer. She was preceded in death by her parents, Florence T. Michel and Walter F. Michel. She is survived by her brother, Walter G. Michel; sister, Barbara M. Ackermann (Charles); and brother, William R. Michel (Kristin); and several nieces and nephews. Lorry joined Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.) as an assistant athletic trainer in 1977 working with all student-athletes. Four years later, she became the head trainer for men’s basketball at the request of Head Coach John Thompson Jr. Lorry was the first full-time female trainer in the nation for a major college men’s basketball team. During her first four years in her new position, the Georgetown Hoyas advanced to three national championship title games and captured the championship trophy. She worked at Georgetown for 40 years and was inducted into the Georgetown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013. Her legacy at GU was further cemented in 2016 when the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center opened its doors. In recognition of her selfless dedication and her outstanding contribution to the safety, health and welfare of Georgetown student-athletes, the sports medicine facility was named in her honor. The Lorry Michel Sports Medicine Center, a state-of-the-art facility, provides services for all of GU’s 30 varsity sports and more than 700 student-athletes. During the summer of 1987, Lorry served on the training staff at the 1987 Pan Am men’s basketball team trials in Colorado Springs. She progressed to assignments at the Olympic basketball team trials in 1988, with the 1988 European tour of the USA men’s basketball select team, and at the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs in 1989. Lorry joined the sports medicine staff at the 1990 Summer Olympic Festival in Minneapolis and at the 1991 World University Games in Sheffield, England. She reached the pinnacle of her profession as a member of the sports medicine staff at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In 2011, Lorry was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After a successful surgery, Lorry thanked God every day for her survival. As time went on, she lost movement on her left side and in 2021, she moved into Queenstown Landing Assisted Living in Queenstown, MD. In May 2024 she moved to Bayleigh Chase, a nursing home in Easton, MD where she was well treated. A Memorial Service will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 301 S. Liberty St., Centreville, MD at 11 am on Tuesday, October 1. A reception will follow immediately after the service upstairs in the church hall. All are welcome. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN 38148-0142.

Lorraine Merry Michel

August 16, 1953 - September 17, 2024