04/20/2026
Today is a different type of meet the team Monday. A goodbye of sorts. While her last day is still a few days off, we wanted to world of polygraph to know how instrumental she has been to us.
Some careers are just jobs. For Michele, hers became a love story — one that started with a broken-down car and somehow got worse before it got better.
It all began in November 1980, when a high school senior walked through the doors of Stoelting as a part-time typist. She liked it enough to stay after graduation — and as fate would have it, that decision changed her life in ways she never could have predicted.
In January 1982, a car breakdown led to an introduction that would define her future. Polygraph product manager Marshall Pochay Sr. mentioned that his son worked on cars and could probably help. His son, Marshall Jr., came to the rescue — and promptly made the car worse. But somewhere between the busted engine and the bill, sparks flew. Marshall Sr. later proudly claimed he had "hand-picked" his daughter-in-law. And we believe him to this day!
Their first official formal date was a wedding for Mark and Melinda at the end of January 1982, and by October 1983, they had their own. At one point, four Pochays were clocking in at Stoelting — Marshall Sr., his wife Hilda, Marshall Jr., and Michele — making it practically a family reunion on any given day.
Over the years, Michele left Stoelting twice — always for good reasons, and always pulled back for better ones. When Stoelting moved from Chicago to Wood Dale, rather than call it quits, she and Marshall bought a house there and planted roots. The commute became the neighborhood. The job became a legacy.
Her title grew from typist to AP/AR to Office Manager to Vice President of Operations, but her dedication never needed a promotion — it was always at the top.
Thank you for 40+ years of hard work, heart, and putting up with a lot — including that car disrepair. You will be so deeply missed.
