Lisa Marie Bartley ( b. August 2, 1964), a passionate advocate for people with disabilities, a dedicated career counselor and public servant, a loving wife, an incredible mom to three, stepmom to two, and nonna to two more, passed into the embrace of the Lord on Friday evening, July 15, surrounded by her loved ones.

Lisa was a powerful, independent-minded woman with unmatched vitality. Her values drove everything she did: her commitment to social justice came from her innate generosity, faith, and compassion. She was drawn to underdogs everywhere and always sought to comfort the afflicted and speak truth to power. She leaves a legacy of loving, giving, and standing up for what she believed in.

Lisa found community everywhere she went. She was incredibly close throughout her life with friends from Andover High School, where she graduated with the third-highest grade point in her class. She had another set of lifelong friends from the University of Michigan, where she studied political science and communications, and cherished the relationships she made with her sorority sisters from Alpha Chi Omega.

Lisa made the decision to stay home during her children's early years, and was the most amazing stay-at-home mom of all time. Her intellectual curiosity and lust for life was deeply imprinted on her children, who enjoyed her engaged presence at every juncture of their personal and academic development.  During those years at home, she co-founded the Ann Arbor Armenian Apostolic Church mission parish and was the editor of Offspring, a local parenting magazine.

Lisa's unstoppable intellectual drive made it inevitable that she would go back to school once the kids began getting on the bus every morning. In 2000, she obtained a Master's in Counseling from Eastern Michigan University and began a fulfilling career in counseling and academic services. Whether with adults experiencing mid-career job transition or young folks just starting out in life, Lisa's empathy and curiosity meant that she loved getting to know other people, and helping other people get to know themselves. Her focus was always on helping others find and embrace their own innate passion and potential.

To say that she was the ultimate networker would be putting it mildly. Lisa was gratified by the meaningful and joyous connections she made throughout her career. In addition to her role as Business Consultant with the State of Michigan, where she helped businesses adopt inclusive hiring practices, Lisa also created Ready2Lauch, LLC, where she guided hundreds of clients in the next steps of their academic or professional careers. She was a dedicated member of the Michigan American Business Women's Association. She left her mark at numerous organizations, including Concordia College, Washtenaw Community College, Cleary University, University of Michigan Alumni Services, Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, Jewish Vocational Services, New Horizons, and the State of Michigan Rehabilitative Services. Lisa often joked that she had worked at every higher education institution in Washtenaw and Livingston counties.

Lisa married the love of her life, Bruce Bartley, in 2013, and they enjoyed twelve wonderful years together. Following a diagnosis of stage four cholangiocarcinoma in August of 2020 and undergoing chemotherapy and several surgeries, Lisa prevailed with integrity, humor, and endless resilience. Whether it was creating a classic Lisa "ditty" to bring levity to a difficult moment, poring over research articles about genetic mutations with her husband, dubbing her children with designated roles, bringing feedback to the U of M healthcare system to improve patient experience, or taking notes for an eventual book on self-advocacy through cancer, Lisa's spirit was indomitable and optimistic every step of the way. Even during chemotherapy treatments, Lisa was offering sage wisdom to her phlebotomists and revamping their resumes. Up until her last breath, she fought to be near her beloved family and soak up every moment life could offer her.

Lisa was a devout Christian who found her spiritual home in Grace Church Ann Arbor. She was involved in Community Bible Study and various other faith-centered groups over the course of her adult life. Her family is comforted to know she has likely found a role as heavenly career counselor.

Lisa Marie Bartley, 57, is survived by her husband, Bruce, her three children from her first marriage: Nicholas and Bethanie Mangigian; Grace Simon and her husband Matthew; her parents, Patricia and Harry Alatchanian; her brother, Gary Alatchanian and his wife Jieyu and her children Kimmily and Forest; Bruce's children Caitlin Lumpkin and CJ Bartley, as well as Caitlin's husband James and their children Oliver and Quinn. She will be remembered by her many close friends, who she treasured to an impossible extent. Her faithful dog, Artie, will miss his mom as much as any of us.

Lisa Marie Bartley left an indelible mark on everyone she knew, and will be missed so, so deeply. In lieu of flowers, Lisa invited friends and family to donate to the National Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation ( https://cholangiocarcinoma.org/donate/ ) and to the Cancer Support Community of Ann Arbor ( https://cancersupportannarbor.harnessapp.com/wv2/donate ).

Visitation Tuesday, July 19, 5-7 pm, at the Heeney-Sundquist Funeral Home, 23720 Farmington Rd., downtown Farmington (248) 474-5200.

Funeral services Wednesday, July 20, 11 am (visitation beginning at 10 am) and reception at Grace Church, Ann Arbor West, 5171 Jackson Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103 (734) 548-1906.

Private burial at Forest Hill Cemetery.