Michelle Lynn Leavell

Michelle Lynn Leavell

May 8, 1952 – August 2, 2026

Michelle Lynn (Harshbarger) Leavell — Micky to everyone who knew her — died at home on August 2, 2026, asleep in her chair with the television on, a familiar scene to anyone who stopped by. She was 74.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Micky grew up in Indiana and moved to Wichita in the mid-1970s, making it her home for the rest of her life. She met William T. "Bill" Leavell through Wichita's nightclub and live-music scene, introduced by Bill's younger brother, Don. Micky waited tables and tended bar, Don played lead guitar in a house band, and Bill played drums. She and Bill married in Wichita and built a life together that stretched across five decades.

Micky spent most of her working years as a licensed practical nurse, caring for older adults in nursing homes and patients in the hospital. Her care did not always end when her shift did. She sometimes brought home elderly residents who had no family or visitors, so they would have somewhere to go and someone to spend time with. She also helped her mother-in-law, Betty, care for her father-in-law, Adelbert, after a stroke left him unable to communicate. She was an LPN by credential, though to hear some of her stories, one might reasonably conclude she had also been the attending physician.

Micky was loving, funny, adventurous, fiercely protective, and thoroughly opinionated, with a storyteller's gift for making events grow more colorful with each retelling. Even something you had witnessed yourself might sound like a different event by the time she finished telling it — and hers was usually the better version.

She loved attending the games and school performances of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Because time and directions were not always her closest allies, family sometimes told her a start time 30 or 45 minutes earlier than the real one. What mattered was that she came, and everyone knew she was there for them.

Micky embraced technology on her own timetable — late to smartphones and Facebook, then making up for lost time with a vengeance, filling family members' phones with emojis and unexpected messages. Not long before her death, she learned the television remote she'd owned for years had a microphone in it and she could simply ask for whatever she wanted to watch. Some days that meant an entire series; other days, a steady stream of animal videos.

Dogs were a constant in her life. Her family shared its home with several generations of large shepherds, and Dax, her very large German shepherd, became her devoted companion and went nearly everywhere with her.

Micky brought the family together over big batches of enchiladas or her own version of beef stroganoff, served over rice instead of noodles. She always loved having the grandchildren spend the night so they could "make pancakes in the morning", though breakfast often became McDonald's hotcakes and Egg McMuffins, which suited everyone fine. Even a short outing could turn into an urgent need for "real food" — usually a No. 3. For some, McDonald's will always be its own kind of Mom's home cooking.

Micky is survived by her husband, Bill Leavell, of Wichita; her brother, John C. Harshbarger II, and his wife, Brenda, of Indiana; and her three children: Joshua R. Kimmel and his wife, Tamara; Tina Star Leavell and her partner, Keith; and William Cody Leavell and his wife, Jessica.

She also leaves eight grandchildren — Andrew; Alex and his wife, Kelli; Kaelee and her husband, Tremont; JT and his partner, Ajayy; Billy; Haley; Coby; and Ryan — and seven great-grandchildren: Damien, Greyson, Harper, Havanna, Hosanna, Serenity, and Ryleigh.

She is further survived by her nieces and nephews, Lisa Harshbarger-Evans, Samantha Quinn, John D. Harshbarger, Joe Harshbarger, Elise Rose Dean-Leavell, and Lexi Dawn Leavell; several great-nieces and great-nephews; her constant companion, Dax; and Bill's sidekick, Lenny.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John C. Harshbarger and Hilda Emmalene (Riffle) Harshbarger; her parents-in-law, Adelbert D. Leavell Jr. and Betty Odile (Cancienne) Leavell; her brother-in-law, Donald Ray Leavell; and her great-granddaughter, Emma Lee Kimmel, whose memory remained close to her heart.

Micky leaves behind a family that was well-fed, thoroughly informed, fiercely defended, and loved.

A celebration of Micky's life will be held at a later date. Details will be announced by the family.