Michele Haran

Michele Renner Haran, born Michele Renner on March 31, 1958, in Arlington, VA, passed away on January 8, 2019 in Asheville, NC from heart failure.  Michele, 60 years old, is survived by her children Yonatan Haran and Maya Haran, and her brother, Frederick Renner.

Growing up in Columbia, SC, followed by Asheville, Michele graduated from Asheville High School and then received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia in 1981.

Michele was a talented painter, sculptor, designer and equestrian. Michele pursued her interest in art and horses, and became an accomplished equestrian, especially in dressage, as well as in training, husbandry and judging show jumping. Michele received her Certification in Horse Training from Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre in West Virginia in 1984, and certification in judging from the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) in May 2000.

Michele married Daniel Haran, of Israel, in 1985 in Asheville, and the two moved to Israel and built a successful small horse farm in Kfar Kisch in northern Israel. The couple had two children, Maya (28) and Yonatan (31), who live in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, respectively. Michele lived in Israel for almost 30 years before returning to Asheville in 2013.

Michele was a lifelong artist, as well as designer, and loved art, animals, literature and the landscapes and histories of both Israel and Western North Carolina. Michele will be greatly missed by her family, friends and cat, Sage.