Michelle D. Puente, 52, was taken home to be with the Lord on Friday, November 1, 2024.

She was born May 24, 1972 in Wheatridge, CO, daughter of Charles and Alice Hartwell Hoselton.  Michelle was a bookkeeper for Bechtler, Parker & Watts Accounting Firm and a member of Parkland Baptist Church.

She was preceded in death by her father and is survived by her husband, Anthony B. Puente, to whom she had been married for 29 years as of January 7. She is also survived by their two sons, Shea and Nevan Puente; mother, Alice Venci (Robert); and sisters, Alicia Hoselton and Amy Bullington (Tim).

Michelle will always be remembered as a sweet, considerate person who did everything she could to ensure that those around her felt safe and welcome. In everything she did, she sought to honor the Lord and express her love for others—no matter what she faced in her own life. When friends visited her home, she made sure they were fed with her signature baked goods and snacks. When her loved ones experienced new milestones, she made crafts by hand to warm their homes and commemorate the events. When children came to church, she made sure that they had a place to learn to love and worship the Lord—as well as to ask important questions.

As the Children's Ministry Director at South Peoria Baptist Church, Michelle encouraged everyone to embrace the truth of 3 John 4, which says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." Yet this verse did not merely encapsulate her philosophy as a teacher. It can truly be said that she lived this verse in all areas of her life. Whether they were her own children, the children at church, or any of her other loved ones; Michelle sought to make sure that everyone had a place to know and love the Lord.

Her funeral is 10am Saturday, November 16, 2024 at Parkland Baptist Church, 7206 Shepherdsville Road with burial in Crosswater Gardens Cemetery. Visitation is 3-7pm Friday, November 15, 2024 at Fern Creek Funeral Home, 5406 Bardstown Road.