Michael Aureli

Michael Valentine Aureli died in comfort and peace on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 in the care of his loving bride of 18 years, Sharon Kay Aureli, his family, and the Arkansas Hospice team. Born February 14, 1950 in Pine Bluff to the late Albert Robert Aureli and Betty Louise (Owen) Aureli, he was 61 years old. In Pine Bluff, he attended Annunciation Academy Catholic Elementary school, Dial Junior High, and graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 1968. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and a Masters in Divinity from the University of Dallas. Later in life he returned to school and received a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Michael was ordained a Catholic Priest on May 22, 1976. As a priest he served as Assistant Pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in North Little Rock; Pastor of St. Augustine Church in North Little Rock, Holy Trinity Church in England, Arkansas, and Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church in Little Rock. Other pastoral activities included serving as Spiritual Director for the Catholic Cursillo Movement and the founding Spiritual Director of the Council for Black Catholics in Arkansas. He also served as pastoral liaison to St. Augustine Center for Children. His career in healthcare began as a medical records technician at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in 1991. In 1994 he was hired as assistant administrator for what eventually became Arkansas Hospice. He became its President and CEO in 1995 and remained in this position until his death. As director of Arkansas Hospice, in concert with its Board of Directors and staff, he transformed the program into a nationally recognized premier end-of-life care service. Chief among his accomplishments was the opening of the first hospice inpatient center in Arkansas in 2000 and pioneering the way for similar centers to open throughout the state. For his achievements at Arkansas Hospice, he was named the Arkansas Not-for-Profit Executive of the Year in 2002. Under his leadership, Arkansas Hospice was named the Not-for-Profit Organization of the Year in 2004. As a hospice leader, he served on several state and national boards and committees, including a term as President of the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Arkansas (HPCAA). He also served on committees of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO). At the time of his death he was actively serving on the Public Policy Committees of both HPCAA and NHPCO. He was a member of the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Andrew and the Little Rock Rotary Club 99 where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was preceded in death by his parents; his paternal grandparents Primo and Annunciata Lucia (Lucy) Aureli; and his maternal grandparents William and Dora Owen. Survivors include his wife; his daughter by marriage, Courteney and her husband Paul; his brothers Gregory with his wife Karen, and Thomas with his life companion Joni Bates; and his sisters Dora and Sandra Aureli. The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to Arkansas Hospice for fulfilling its mission of “surrounding them with love and embracing them with the best in care.” Memorials may be sent to the Michael V. Aureli Arkansas Hospice Perpetual Endowment Fund, c/o the Arkansas Hospice Foundation, 14 Parkstone Circle, North Little Rock, AR 72116. Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 PM on Thursday, June 30th, at the Cathedral of St. Andrew, 617 Louisiana Street in Little Rock, followed by a vigil service at 7:00 PM. For those who wish to remain after the vigil service a devotional rosary will be prayed at 9:00 PM. The funeral and mass of Christian burial will be at the Cathedral at 10:00 AM on Friday, July 1st, with Msgr. David LeSieur as celebrant. The homilist will be Msgr. Francis Malone. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery in Little Rock immediately after the funeral service. Michael felt his life was blest. In his own words: “I was blest to have felt the special favor of God throughout my life, perhaps because God saw my great poverty of spirit from the moment of conception and looked mercifully on me. That special love became evident in the gift of a lifelong deep, abiding, transforming faith; a loving bride and step-daughter; a large supportive extended family; and in the gifts of many years of special service in Church ministry and in leading Arkansas Hospice.” He also was blest with a lifelong mission statement as a guide. In reviewing his life, Michael shared the following story: “A classmate gave me a plaque upon graduation from High School. Its words took root in me and served as a lifetime mission statement. They read, ‘I shall only pass this way once. Therefore, any good that I can do or kindness I can show, let me do them now, for I shall not pass this way again.’ Wherever I found myself in life, I always tried to live this mission every day.” Arrangements by North Little Rock Funeral Home, 1921 Main, 758-1170. Online obituary and guest registry at www.nlrfh.com.

Michael Aureli

February 14, 1950 - June 28, 2011