MICHELLE HAMA's Obituary
Michelle Hama, 69, of Hollywood, Florida, passed away on March 4, 2026.
Michelle spent her early years in Brentwood, New York, and later in Atlantic Beach, New York. She graduated from Brentwood High School and continued her education at Suffolk County Community College, Baruch College, and Stony Brook University.
Michelle will be remembered as a dedicated professional, a trusted colleague, and a truly caring friend to all who had the privilege of knowing her. Throughout her long and distinguished career in disaster recovery, business continuity, and technology operations, she exemplified professionalism, integrity, and a deep commitment to helping others succeed. Most recently, Michelle retired as a Senior Disaster Recovery Specialist at Northwell Health, where she played an important role in strengthening the resilience of critical healthcare systems that support patient care and hospital operations.
Prior to her work in healthcare, Michelle held senior leadership roles at Goldman Sachs. There, she helped launch one of the firm’s early equities support desks and contributed to the development of enterprise business continuity programs. She also oversaw operational resilience across the New York and New Jersey campuses and supported the firm’s expansion into Mexico and Hong Kong. Michelle’s career allowed her to travel the world, and she dedicated herself fully to her work, ensuring operations ran smoothly while guiding colleagues with her thoughtful and direct leadership style.
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Michelle will be remembered most for the person she was. Known to many as “Mama Hama,” she genuinely cared for those around her and treated everyone with kindness and respect. She welcomed people with warmth and sincerity and was always generous with her time, advice, and support. Her generosity of spirit and willingness to help others left a lasting impression on everyone she met.
In December 2024, Michelle moved to South Florida to be closer to her family, especially her beloved grandniece and grandnephew, Leo and Jordana. She embraced her role as a grandmother figure in their lives, attending their activities, celebrating birthdays and holidays, and spending cherished time together. Being present for them brought her tremendous joy.
Michelle loved her family deeply and had recently begun looking forward to the next chapter of her life in Florida. Though her life was cut short far too soon, the impact she had on the lives of others was immeasurable.
She is survived by her nephew, Corey Schwartz, and his wife, Michelle, and by Leo and Jordana. She was predeceased by her parents, Toshiye and Joseph Hama, and her sister, Helen Schwartz.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, March 11, at Van Orsdel Funeral Home, 4600 SW 8th Street, Coral Gables, Florida. Michelle will later be laid to rest alongside her parents and sister at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Long Island. Corey Schwartz will also be working with her close friends and former colleagues to arrange a celebration of life in New York.
For additional information, Corey Schwartz can be reached at 305-987-6874 or [email protected]
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