Michaela R. Urma of Nashua, NH, took her last breath peacefully on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Elliott Hospital in Manchester, NH, following a long battle with cancer. She was with her husband and children by her side as she entered her final sleep with big, bright, hopeful eyes, a smile, optimistic energy, and remarkable strength, the way she had charged forward throughout her entire life.

BIOGRAPHY

Born Mihaela R. Tudor on January 17, 1943, in the historic center of Bucharest (Bucuresti), Romania, to Marin and Marcela (Sceopul) Tudor, a neurologist and a chemist who ran her own pharmacy until it was confiscated by the communist regime. From an early age, Michaela was energetic, spirited, and mischievous. She had a particular love for animals, bringing home many strays she found on the streets. She and her older sister, Sanda Tudor, a psychiatrist and neurologist with whom Michaela shared a particularly close bond, grew up during the hardships and scarcity of post-World War II communist Romania. Together, they helped care for their extended family of elderly relatives, taking on difficult chores such as chopping wood for the stoves. At home, Michaela learned to cook from her mother and to garden from her father. These skills became much more than childhood lessons—they grew into lifelong passions which brought her tremendous joy and remained an important part of who she was throughout her life.

She studied foreign languages, graduating with a master’s in English literature. This led to a brief job as a translator, and later to more passionate work teaching high school English in Bucharest, first at a fine arts school and later at a technical one. There, Michaela formed deep and lasting connections with her students, who clearly felt the warmth, dedication, and genuine care she brought to the classroom. They often expressed their affection and appreciation for her through handmade gifts such as paintings and crafted objects.

Michaela loved life, colors, people, laughter, animals, the beach, cooking, reading, fashion, learning, glamor, gardening, romantic Romanian poetry, traveling, taking photographs, and watching serious documentaries.

She was selfless and adored her children more than anything, prioritizing their well-being above her own and dedicating her time and emotional energy to supporting them. As the communist government started tearing up the historic center she grew up in to build the Palace of the Parliament there, she made the hard decision to leave her parents, sister, and career behind and emigrate to the US, where she worked in several administrative jobs, so her children would have better opportunities in this free country. Her adventurous spirit moved her family and their various pets around Los Angeles, then to Boston, and much later in life, tired of the cold, to Las Vegas, before returning to New England a few years ago for her cancer treatment.

Through these journeys, she made many friends across the country: American and immigrant neighbors and Romanians from the diaspora. In LA, her social circle revolved around beach days in Santa Monica and later Zuma, camped out with large groups of friends and good Balkan food. She loved the beach and brought many of her children’s friends along with them to enjoy it. Friends’ homes with swimming pools provided the backdrop to enjoy more sun and water activities. She loved to swim and later, in Las Vegas, made it a regular exercise. Michaela contributed greatly to the LA Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church, volunteering to teach Sunday School, prepare food for the monthly lunches, and help with church plays. In Boston, her tenacity and drive led her to co-found the first Boston-area Romanian Orthodox church in Wakefield (now in Andover) and organize large parties for the diaspora. In Las Vegas, she again participated in social events at Romanian friends’ homes, at several Romanian Orthodox churches she was a member of, and at block parties on her cul-de-sac. As her daughter lived in LA at the time, she often traveled there to revisit old friends and the beaches she loved so much. And when her grandson was born, she came to Boston every few months for the first three years to help take care of him.

A LOVER OF NATURE: STRONG, INDEPENDENT, & CREATIVE

As an independent thinker who loved to debate and research various topics, Michaela instilled in her children a love of learning and curiosity. She taught them to push, to ask questions, and to never take things for granted. Her storytelling memory was sharp until the very end.

As an artistic person who loved design and colors, she once painted all the rooms in her house orange, magenta, blue, and green. If interior design had existed when she was young in Romania, she said she would have loved to have studied it. Consequently, Michaela remained a designer in disguise, making cards and beautiful photo collages for friends and family, photography being her first artistic pursuit back when only black-and-white film existed. Ever the perfectionist, she criticized all her endeavors while simultaneously lavishing them with attention to craft and detail. This was particularly evident in the ornate dishes and desserts she prepared for the many parties she hosted and organized. It was in this creative, nurturing environment that her children first discovered and developed their own artistic talents.

Dedicated to nature, Michaela planted edible gardens in every one of her homes, starting with a grape vine from which she made wine on the townhouse patio in Los Angeles (Glendale); moving to a full garden with apricot, apple, and sour cherry trees, tomatoes, and basil and raspberry bushes in Boston (Waltham); to fig and very prolific lemon trees in Las Vegas. The lemon trees produced enough fruit for her to gift to neighbors, family, and friends across the country. So many people enjoyed her Meyer lemons. Her love of everything green extended to pushing the City of Waltham to plant trees on her street, which have now, decades later, grown to shade the sidewalks.

Above all, Michaela was a strong and loving person, devoted to her husband Radu, taking care of absolutely everything in the house, from cooking and doing laundry to all sorts of hands-on repairs, and all the finances. Her heart was always open to listening to and guiding her friends, rushing to help any one of them in need by sending hope, cheer, and love. Like a star in the sky, Michaela was full of energy, always in motion, a person of positive action.

AFTER RETIREMENT

In her retirement years, she finally had the opportunity to explore the world she had learned about in novels and films, the world beyond the Iron Curtain she had been restricted to visiting in her youth, traveling with her husband Radu to Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, throughout Europe, and the Holy Land.

SURVIVED BY

In New England, Michaela is survived by the love of her life, her husband of 55 years, Radu, 85, a structural engineer; her daughter, Ioana Urma, 54, an artist and architect; her son, Bogdan Urma, 53, a computer engineer and photographer, and his wife, Daniela, 51, a physician; and her beloved grandchild, Ryan Alexander Urma, 19, who is just beginning his college journey.

She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Viorel Urma, his wife, Carmen, and their son, Andrei V. Urma of New Jersey.

In Romania, Michaela is survived by her cousin, Anca Sandu, and Anca’s son, Sorin Sandu, and granddaughter, Anca Sandu, of Bucharest; and her cousin, Rodica Toma, and Rodica’s daughter, Dafina Toma Coada, and son, Sorin Toma, of Calafat.

Family and friends are invited to Michaela’s visitation on

FRIDAY August 28th

from 5 PM until 8 PM

at the ROCHETTE FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES

21 Kinsley Street, Nashua, NH 03060

Her graveside service will take place on

SATURDAY August 29th

From 11 AM until 12 PM

at the WOODLAWN CEMETERY

101 Kinsley Street, Nashua, NH 03060

Please consider making a donation to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute