Micheline Catherine "Mickey" Poduje

Micheline Catherine Poduje, “Mickey”, of Needham left us peacefully on February 3, 2021 at the age of 75 at home with her family by her side after a brief illness.

Born in Paris, France on September 9, 1945 to Solange and Cornelius Sinnott, Mickey grew up in New York where she graduated from Cathedral High School in Manhattan. She married Noel Poduje in 1966 and moved to Needham, MA in 1968. While raising her sons Joseph and Mark and working at several college bookstores, she pursued her college education earning a BA in History from Wellesley College in 1993,.

In addition to being a wonderful mother and wife, Mickey actively pursued her passion for motorsports. Along with her husband and later her son, she drove the “family racecar”, a 1967 red Lotus Elan #81, in SCCA races throughout the Northeast. She was also the publisher of the “Four Wheel Drift” monthly newsletter for the Corvettes of Massachusetts Sports Car Club, a position she took a great deal of pride in. A tribute to her racing career, written by her granddaughter, can be found at

http://www.gamechange.ca/game-change-blog/2019/9/6/xnb2jmrrci7qkd4vvefkw7b1g71gw1 .

Mickey had a zest for an active life – among other things, she enjoyed singing, skiing, horseback riding, sailing and yachting, and spending summers at the ancestral home on the island of Vis in Croatia overlooking the beautiful Adriatic Sea. She was also an excellent cook with dozens of European specialties as her family’s favorites. Her racing success was only cut short when she suffered a stroke at 50 years old. Although disabled, her spirit of adventure was not inhibited as she continued traveling the world with her husband, kids and grandkids, sailing in the BVIs, and beaming with pride while attending school functions and sport events for her three granddaughters. She was also an avid Boston sports fan – with a special fondness for her “Tom” (Brady) and the Patriots. 

Mickey is survived by her husband Noel, her son Joseph “Jody” and wife Lisa, three granddaughters Riley, Devon and Tiegan who live in West Hartford, CT and her son Mark who resides in Stowe, VT. The oldest of five children, Mickey leaves her two younger sisters Cornelia Patti of Twin Lakes, CO and Patti Sinnott of Rhinebeck, NY and her brother Neil Sinnott of Williams, OR. Mickey is predeceased by both her parents and her youngest sister Monica who died at an early age. A host of nieces and nephews and neighbors and close friends will miss her inspiring spirit and brilliant smile.

A very special thank you to Mickey’s dear friends Margie Bischoff, Mia DeMeis and Carolyn Piersiak for their companionship and loving care over the years.

A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Needham. A Celebration of Mickey’s Life will take place at a time and place to be selected when conditions are more favorable.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Mickey’s name are appreciated and can be made at :

https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/site/Donation2?df_id=2100&mfc_pref=T&2100.donation=form1 .

More pictures of Mickey are found on her Tribute Wall.

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