Chad Stanley Michelstetter, 49, passed away peacefully on March 27, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born on July 27, 1975, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Chad is survived by his mother, Joyce Michelstetter; father, Stanley Hubert Michelstetter, brother, Chris Edward Michelstetter (Heather) and two nephews Tyler and Arthur, and many other aunts, uncles and cousins.
Chad was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and graduated from Nicolet Union High School in Glendale, Wisconsin in 1993. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Antioch College, continuing his education at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and completing a degree in Economics. He then went on to pursue a Masters of Music-Composition from California State University – East Bay. He lived in Hayward, California for several years until he moved to Las Vegas. He lived a life devoted to his music and learning; and was active in public causes.
Chad’s love of music began in middle school when he started guitar and piano lessons. In high school he spent many hours playing music with friends. His high school peers may remember entering their band into the Battle of the Band competition.
At an early age, Chad was to also drawn to books, writing, playing chess and strategy games like Dungeons & Dragons. He was driven, working hard to maintain the highest grades in his class. While still in high school, he was taking college level courses at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Outside, Chad loved any and all critters and often was found feeding squirrels while outside with his beloved dogs Brandy, Chester and Lucky. His love of books, writing and music was the perfect combination of interests, which eventually drove him to write, compose, and study music in school. For his Master’s Thesis, he presented his opera entitled Ragnarok, which was written for performance primarily as a live, staged opera. His works may be found online in the California State University East Bay Library Scholarworks digital archives.
Chad was able to fit in a passion for public causes among his time with his fellow musicians. He kicked off his interest by volunteering at St. Francis Children’s Center and expanded his love of learning through language studies in Mexico, as well as Women’s Studies, economics and math.
Chad will be greatly missed by his family and all who knew him, played music with him, studied with him or met him.