Acknowledging the fast-paced world of motorsports, we pause to recognize the battles fought off the track, particularly against cancer. We currently just lost our beloved Michele McClanahan, who we started SKUSA Strong for. We have converted this page to solely go to helping her daughter who she left behind Katelyn McClanahan.

Here is her obituary written by her daughter.

Michele Marie (Denor) McClanahan

May 2, 1971-November 19, 2024

(A one-of-a-kind obituary for a one-of-a-kind woman)

Rest in peace, mom. I'll love you forever.

Michele Marie McClanahan, also known as “Squish” or as everyone in Tennessee pronounces it, “Meeshayelle” tragically entered eternal life at the young age of 53 on Tuesday morning, November 19th, 2024 after battling breast cancer. Her last breaths were spent peacefully knowing the Packers won and surrounded by the comfort of her family at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, and her oldest brother, Tom (no emphasis on old), holding her hand the whole way through. And don’t even think for a second “she lost to cancer” because Michele was the no-holds-barred type. She fought tooth and nail across the roughest of waters and with a serious vengeance. Quite frankly, if anything, cancer was afraid of her.

Michele was born on May 2nd, 1971 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to the late Leonard “Ace” Denor and the alive and legendary Julia “Judy” (Kopidlansky) Denor. She grew up on a dairy farm on Haas Road in Taus, WI and was the youngest of 9 brothers and sisters. Her childhood stories are stranger than fiction and can only truly be summed up with mischief and mayhem. And of course, a whole lot of love. And church. And way too many “sorry we almost burnt the house down.”

She attended St. Joseph Catholic School in Kellnersville, WI and graduated in 1985 as a cheerleader, hot-lunch volunteer, Passion Play participant, and in the May Crowning. The mischief and mayhem made a second appearance with her childhood best friend, Gina (Mleziva) Dresang despite getting gum stuck in her hair and Michele’s mom having to chop it off. Their riveting class highlights included “the gerbils having 5 babies” and “painting the basement of the school,” their class motto read, “What seems like the end may really be a new beginning,” and Michele’s Class Prophecy (superlative) read, “We see MICHELE, busily keeping appointments and dates. She’s rushing on now – She’s president of the United States!” And ain’t that the truth.

*This would be a paragraph about her high school events, but I was told I needed to keep this relatively PG.*

The day after graduating high school in 1989, she and her parents moved to Norwalk, California where she attended Cerritos College for the parties and to study Having Fun (4.0 GPA). If fun wasn’t enough, a new next-door neighbor moved in and shortly after, Michele and the late Tim McClanahan said “I Do” in 1994 at Circus Circus Chapel in Las Vegas where you can find family photos on CCTV in the casinos. In 1995, Michele and Tim had their first, last, only, and favorite child, Katelyn “Katie” “Kat” Paige McClanahan. As luck would have it, her mom and dad lived right across the way which gave headway to her career in medical office and administration at Intercommunity Medical Group, Allied Medical Group, and most recently, Forensic Psych Group as the Senior Managing Director. Even then, she was more than just a diplomatic powerhouse. “We could be working in the worst of times and just be laughing. And I loved her when she got mad too – because she was so strong and principled. Always doing the right thing and giving it her all,” as her long-time colleague Nedi McKnight said. She was more than just a colleague, she was loved beyond professional bounds.

To understand the acuteness of Michele’s determination, strength, and her unwavering care, in 2018 she was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a double mastectomy, and went through chemotherapy. While recovering, her late husband suffered a heart attack where he needed a quadruple by-pass. Michele finished her last chemo session and simultaneously brought him back to health, and by the end of 2019, they moved to Smithville, Tennessee where he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. By 2020, they were married for 26 years and she cared for him until she was out of breath and he took his very last. Two months later, her sister, Maria (Denor) Dolan, had suddenly passed away and despite Michele grieving her late husband, she took the first flight out to Florida to extend all of her help. So if you need a synonym for giver, “Michele” will do.

Michele and her late husband, Tim McClanahan, shared a deep love for kart racing, which became a cornerstone of their lives. Tim raced for many years, and after his passing, Michele continued to honor their shared passion by joining the SKUSA team where she led the tire department with unshakable dedication. Michele’s contributions went far beyond her tireless work ethic; she brought her signature warmth and kindness to every early morning and late night at the track. She wasn’t just a gorgeous smile—Michele would roll up her sleeves, lifting 50-pound tire boxes with ease, and still made time for a morning track walk to get her steps in. She cherished life’s simple pleasures, whether it was savoring a well-earned margarita, enjoying group dinners after a long day, or trying new foods like Rockefeller oysters with enthusiasm. Introduced by a colleague to the joy of a “shower beer,” she embraced it wholeheartedly as a way to unwind. Michele’s zest for life, adventurous spirit, and ability to bring people together made her truly unforgettable, leaving an enduring legacy both on and off the track.

Michele had a smile that outshined the sun and nothing could have made it brighter until she met her boyfriend of nearly 4 years, Brad Haynes. If you had the opportunity to ever witness them together, it made you realize that people in your life could simply exist to only enhance the best versions of you, that soulmates can take a longer part of your life to appear, and sometimes they are a duck-hunting southerner with hilarious candor, no filter, understand what love, care, and respect truly is, and can only be met on Farmersonly.com. Ultimately, to understand the gravity of love Michele had for Brad, know that just before she was intubated, she left a note to all of us, and the only legible line was, “i luv brad so so much.”

Michele had a life-long love affair with soupy spaghetti, spending summers on Kentucky Lake, Limoncello, Law & Order SVU, baking far too many Christmas cookies, dancing, thin-crust pizza with Italian dressing, jell-o shots, and Bath & Body Works Pearberry fragrance mist. An honorable mention to her short-term love affair: chocolate milkshakes from McDonalds.

She was a soldier who has been through wars and has defeated the masses. She has been able to carry the weight of the entire world on her shoulders and yet walk hand in hand with grace — Something that is a vision we could only dream of. She was hilarious, “so chill” as her daughter’s friends would say, silly, the type of beauty that lit up a room, routine oriented riddled with spontaneity, an unforgettable laugh, and even then, words fall short of explaining her luster. Michele was the best mom, girlfriend, daughter, wife, aunt, cousin, friend, and colleague. She was our earth-side angel where her smile just flourished through darkness. She toiled her love for all those around her til the bitter end. God even cried for her when she left us.

Survivors include her daughter, Katelyn “Katie” “Kat” McClanahan, New York, NY, her boyfriend, Brad Haynes, Huntingdon, TN, her mother, Julia “Judy” (Kopidlansky) Denor, Manitowoc, WI, her 4 brothers and sister-in-laws, Tom (Sue) Denor, Manitowoc, WI, Paul (Bonnie) Denor, Cato, WI, Joe (Tammy) Denor; Taus, WI, Tim (Kelly) Denor, Reedsville, WI, 3 sisters and brother-in-laws, Susan Denor Gonzalez, Manitowoc, WI, Pat (Arlie) Olp, Reedsville, WI, and Jane (Layne) Martineau, Lancaster, CA. 3 almost step-daughters (close but no cigar) Alexander (Dylan) Haynes-Gooch, Cydnee Haynes, and Bradleigh Haynes; 7 nephews and 5 niece-in-laws Jason Freund, Josh (Amanda) Denor, Alex (Anya) Lopina, Nathan (Angelika) Freund, Jordan (Lynea) Olp, Brian (Amanda) Denor, Logan Denor; 6 neices and 6 nephew-in-laws, Nichole (Dan) Diedrich, Lindsay (Ryan Covel) Lopina, Samantha (Matthew) Fischer, Amanda (Brandon) Kolbeck, Stephanie (Oscar Pineda) Gonzalez, and Jenna (Nick) Krepline; Father and Mother-in-law Ben & Jo (Limaco) McClanahan; Brother-in-law Ruben (Tammy) Gonzalez; In-laws Tina McClanahan, Jessica Wright, Marcus Wright, Sherrie (Phil) Fleming, Teresa McClanahan, Laura & Matt Fraser-Peirotti, and definitely so many more, but to be honest, we lost count. There are also a whole lot of grand-nieces, grand-nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, and 3 almost (close but no cigar pt. 2) step grand-children. Put it this way: This is a very big family and our Funeral Director, Kevin Pfeffer, just happened to be her “nephew of wife of uncle.”

She was preceded in death by her father, Leonard “Ace” Denor, paternal grandparents Mary and Joseph Denor, maternal grandparents Albert and Mary Kopidlansky, husband Tim McClanahan, sister Maria (Denor) Dolan, brother in-law Joseph Freund, brother-in-law David Dolan, brother-in-law Phil Flemming, sister-in-law Lisa McClanahan, and nephew Andrew Gonzalez.

Although Michele passed away in Wisconsin, our family would also like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Stephen M. Schleicher, MD, MBA who provided a profound level of care and compassion to Michele throughout her battle with cancer. His kindness, expertise, and steadfast support will never be forgotten and his dedication to her well-being was truly unparalleled. On behalf of all of her family, friends, and loved ones, we are forever grateful for the time we had with her thanks to the care he provided and exercised to extend her life with all of us. We wish there were words greater than thank you, but until then, thank you so much, Dr. Schleicher and Tennessee Oncology. Additionally, Michele’s family would like to thank Holy Family Memorial in Manitowoc, Froedtert Hospital MICU in Milwaukee, and our family and friends from blood to the lake and to the races for the limitless support and love you gave during Michele’s illness. Your kindness will never be forgotten.

Normally in modern days, this portion would read “In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) for their continued research in triple negative breast cancer and for the level of care they provided for Michele between Holy Family Memorial, Manitowoc and Froedtert Hospital…” And so on and so forth. However, my mom loved flowers of all types. And she also liked giving. So along with flowers, please also consider making a donation to Froedtert & MCW (And Froedtert, if you’re reading this, MICU Nurse Hunter needs a raise). Services and celebration of life will be announced at a later time.

Finally, the family asks in honor of Michele that you write your Congressman and ask for the repeal of Daylight Savings Time. She hated it. Also, it’s Michele with ONE L.

Superkarts! USA Cancer Fund