Obituary: Rachel Marie Blau

As received from Memorial Chapel Funeral and Cremation Service:

Our beloved Rachel Marie Blau, 31, passed away Wednesday, May 29, 2024. A daughter, sister, niece, aunt, mother to two cherished cats, a trusted friend, and a proud business-owner. Rachel will be deeply missed by the countless people she touched with her joy of life, humor and caring heart.

Rachel was born on May 15, 1993, in Hancock, Michigan, the second child to Ron and Michele Blau. When she was a toddler, the family moved to Danbury, Connecticut, where Rachel managed to pick up an East Coast accent at daycare, much to the comic relief of her parents and sister Annie. This revealed to them her ear for language and knack for impersonations, which kept her family and friends in stitches. In 1998, Rachel moved with her family to Lombard, Illinois where they welcomed little brother Will. There, in addition to mischievously sparring with her siblings as much as possible as the middle child – rambunctious little Rachel was involved in volleyball, track and field, and Girl Scouts at Sacred Heart School. The Blau family started to recognize Rachel as the “firecracker” of the family, always active and entertaining – the center of attention – and rightly so. She was the perfect glue at the center of the Blau family to stick them so tightly together.

The family was fortunate to be able to move back to the Copper Country in 2004. Rachel attended the Hancock schools where she met many of her lifelong friends. While in high school she loved to express herself through art classes, singing in the choir, and putting together fabulous costumes for Copper Bowl, Wing Ding, and Halloween. During freshman year her family lived in Australia for six months. She left there with great friends, some new Australian phrases, and a slight “Melben” accent. The Blau’s were Rotary Exchange hosts to Juan, Amadeo, and Santiago, with whom Rachel created lifelong, sibling-like bonds. Rachel graduated from Hancock High School in 2011. She attended Northern Michigan University’s Cosmetology Program and graduated in 2013.

On her way to becoming a business owner, Rachel first cut her teeth as the manager of the Shottle Bop in Hancock from 2015 to 2020. Wanting more creativity and flexibility in her life, in 2021, she enrolled at the Aveda School of Cosmetology and Esthiology of Madison, Wisconsin. In November of that year, Rachel opened her business, Mood Spa, where she specialized in nail and skin care services. At Mood, she channeled her artistic talent and creative energy into a thriving business in which she could do what she was ultimately best at – caring for people. Heartwarming reviews from her customers mention that they can walk in the door in any sort of mixed mood and always leave feeling uplifted. Rachel’s secret to this success was her heart of gold – she truly cared for every person who walked through her door, making sure they left looking, and feeling, beautiful, inside and out.

Rachel’s excitement for life and discovery brought her to an enviable number of worldwide destinations in her brief thirty-one years, including Australia, Mexico, Chile, Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Germany, India, Italy and thirty-plus US states. Her eye for picturesque landscapes, cultural oddities, decadent cuisine, and perfect moments has left her family and friends with an invaluable archive of photographed memories, including countless selfies featuring her beautiful smile. For those fortunate enough to have traveled with Rachel, they know that she was a curious, awestruck, and good-natured companion – the kind where all of your travel recollections emerge as warm, nostalgic feelings of good times.

Rachel animated everyone’s evenings as the de facto board game coordinator, a karaoke diva, as hostess of dinner parties exhibiting her culinary skills, and a trivia whiz, especially in fashion, music, and pop culture categories.

There was no limit to the amount of love that Rachel offered to those around her. In addition to being a doting aunt to Miles, an admired “auntie” to many younger cousins, and the flame that lit the Blau family spirit for so long, Rachel was a spectacular friend. The friendships that she built were as unique and special as she was. She and her friends maintained constant communications, they checked in on one another, they shared in good times and bad, and they built a trust that is rare and precious.

Rachel’s loving heart was so big that it finally had no more to give. She passed away in her home in Hancock from a sudden cardiac event after a lifelong struggle with congenital heart troubles.

Rachel is survived by her parents, Ron and Michele Blau, her two siblings, Annie (Aaron and adored nephew Miles) Koskela and William Blau (Vanessa Dulong), grandparents Michael and Sharon Lahti, aunts and uncles John Blau, Donald Blau, Bonnie (Bob) Allen, Connie (Mike) Paluda, Catherine (Carl) Macpherson, Andrew (Christina) Lahti, John (Meena) Lahti, Ruth Lahti, and Sara Lahti (Ndiaga Thiam).

Rachel also leaves behind cousins Kathryn and Becca Allen; Michael and Kelsey Paluda; Jacalyn Blau-Hohly, Hunter Blau, and Maddie Blau; Carl and Isabel Macpherson; Ava, Alice and Ari Lahti; Ananya Lahti; Margot and Tessa Ryynanen; and Alex, Jeye, Quincy and Sharon Lahti-Thiam. Her two cats Nova and Yolk have found a loving home with her friends Thea and Arthur and their daughters Audrey and Tulip.

Rachel was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents John and Dolly Blau, and great-grandparents Mario and June Pardini.

Rachel was blessed to have friends that were true family to her, including Thea Mayer, Lilia Chapin, Brittany Kallio, Miranda Lambert, Cati Good, Jessica Smith, Katrina Mills, Emily and Ruth Oppliger, and so many others.

Rachel is so loved, and will forever be living in our hearts and minds. And many more…

A funeral mass will be held at the Church of the Resurrection in Hancock at 12:30 pm, on Thursday, June 6.

A Celebration of Life for Rachel will be held at the Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Hancock Chapel in Hancock from 5:30 – 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 6.

To view Rachel’s obituary or to send condolences to the family please visit www.memorialchapel.net.

The Memorial Chapel Funeral & Cremation Service – Hancock Chapel has been assisting the family with the arrangements.