Melanie Elaine Hunley Ways, 78, passed away Wednesday, January 8, 2025, in the loving company of her husband, John, and her children, John II, Anthony “Tony”, JaMel, LeShara, and Jade. She was born January 11, 1946, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to LeRoy Spencer Hunley and Evelyn Victoria Cook Hunley.
At the age of 5, Melanie met the love of her life, John, then age 7, when her family moved to Camden, New Jersey in 1951, where they both attended John Greenleaf Whittier Elementary. It was at this age Melanie initially told John she would marry him someday.
After elementary school, Melanie attended Pyne Poynt Junior High School and then Camden High School where she excelled in all areas of academics, was known for her beautiful poem recitations and was also a cheerleader. A member of the upper-class, Melanie was also presented as a Debutante in her teenage years. After high school, Melanie attended Philadelphia General Hospital School of Nursing on a full scholarship.
On March 21, 1963, on a visit home during leave from service in the Air Force, John asked Melanie to marry him. And on December 19, 1964, in Camden, New Jersey, Melanie married John, just as she said she would do at the age of five. Melanie then joined John in Riverside, California where he was stationed in the Air Force.
Melanie was successful in many various careers over the course of her life. At the age of 17, Melanie hosted her own radio show discussing current events, reciting poetry, and updating listeners on the time and weather. After nursing school, she worked for the Telephone Company in Philadelphia. Once married, she transferred to the Telephone Company in Riverside, where she worked as a Telephone Operator and Service Representative. She was later promoted to Service Representative Supervisor. One of the high points of being an operator came in 1964 when Melanie was putting through a personal call to Miami and on the other end, the party answered, “Hello, this is Cassius Clay…”
Melanie and John moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in January of 1971, where Melanie began working as a Patient Registrar at Lincoln General Hospital, and was quickly promoted. Melanie wrote the rules, regulations, and procedures for the Emergency Room Patient Registrar duties. Melanie sold Yellow Pages, Herbal Life supplements, and ultimately, Real Estate – working for various companies until she started her own, Melanie Ways Real Estate. She served as the Director of Lincoln OIC (Opportunities Industrialization Center), was a machine operator at Control Data, worked at the Department of Labor for the State of Nebraska, was a Facilitator for Pacific Institute, owned her own resume writing service, provided HR Consultation services, and worked at Duncan Aviation as a Human Resources Manager and AA/EEO Officer where she retired in 2014.
Melanie had many other accomplishments throughout her lifetime including obtaining her B.A. in Human Relations from Doane College in 1991. Melanie also served as a La Leche League Leader, helping mothers successfully nurse their babies. She was also instrumental in changing the way babies are welcomed to the world in Lincoln as the first mother to keep her baby in her room rather than the nursery in 1973 at Lincoln General, and the first mother to have a Laboyer method birth at Saint Elizabeth Hospital in 1975. Melanie was a foster mother to several children and will be remembered by many as an extra-mother, and mother figure who was always willing to give a hug.
Melanie’s earlier hobbies included bowling, and quilting, but she also loved to sing in the church choir and Lincoln Community Gospel Choir, cook large family meals, crack crabs, travel, jump in the ocean waves, slow dance with her loving husband, visit with friends and family, and love on her fur babies. Later she found a love of watching true crime investigation shows, political shows, and period pieces. She alone was responsible for stimulating the economy through her love of online shopping on Amazon.
Melanie is survived by her husband, John Sr, two sons John II and Anthony (Angela), three daughters JaMel, LeShara, Jade, grandchildren Theodore, Kylie, Essence, Mataya, Gabrielle, Olivia, Aaron, Christopher, Spencer, Zander, Lela, great grandchildren Ambromitis, Lalalyn, Harper, Taisley, Athena, and Huntley.
Melanie is also survived by her sister Lee Shanna Hunley Letcher (Paul), their daughters Kiara and Kaleah and their children Sloane, Pierce, Penn, Hunley, Tralles, and Lenora.
She was preceded in death by granddaughters Jessica and Angel, and grandson Jordan.
Melanie was also preceded in death by brothers Harry and Arnold.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, January 16, 2025, at St. Marks United Methodist Church, 8550 Pioneers Blvd., Lincoln NE 68520 followed by a light lunch.
Memorials to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Condolences online at https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18SLuPn4T8/
Services
Celebration of Life
11:00 am CST
St. Marks United Methodist Church
8550 Pioneers Blvd., Lincoln NE 68520
Share a Memory or Condolence
Dearest Ways family, I am sending my deepest condolences. Melanie was a true friend of the family from the time we lived next to each other in Southwood from the time we lived down the street in the Knolls. We still have a picture in our photo album of a giant poster that John and Melanie made for me when I was born and posted it to our garage door. I will never forget spending time in their home and how welcome she always made me feel when I would come over to play with JaMel and LaShara, whether it was swinging on the swingset out back or jumping on her giant sectional in the living room. I will hold on to those memories forever. Please take solemn these beautiful memories that I share and the many others that all of you hold dearly. We are all so much better off for having Melanie in our lives. God Bless all of you!
– Roger V. Yant, Jr.
I worked with Mel at Duncan Aviation. She was one of the Managers in Human Resources. She was a kind and wonderful woman. One of several memories I have of her is when my own mother was in the hospital and was on her death bed, Mel, came up to the hospital to see if she could do anything for my husband and I. She offered to get food for us – anything we needed. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend her funeral do to some medical tests my husband has scheduled at the time of her funeral. My heart goes out to her family but please know that she left a lasting impact on many, many people.
– Brenda Bolejack
Dear John and family first of all my condolences for the passing of your mother and wife. Mel Melanie was a really important person in my life. She was my right hand for almost 15 years in my job as deputy commissioner of labor and HR Director at Duncan. She was incredibly talented.. we worked well together and got to know each other. There were many midnight hours where we talked about work and our families. We talked about the complications of raising children. We adopted two daughters at the same time we went through the death of our mother’s fathers and her grandchildren together . Throughout the years, Mel gave me good advice. She encouraged me to get my degree completed. She helped me in every way that she could. Mel was generous sometimes to a fault, but she took her children on fabulous vacations, which I know those memories are precious to them and to John Melanie would not tolerate any kind of unfair treatment any discrimination and it was her life‘s work. There were many employees who benefited from her persuasive method of resolving conflict. I pray that she is in heaven, which I know that if anyone deserves it, she does, that she is celebrating with loved ones who have passed before her. Mel had a beautiful voice and she loved spiritual music. I hope that that’s what she’s listening to today. I want to thank John for taking such great care of her in the years of her illnesses. Melanie was blessed with the constant love and support of her children. Godspeed Melanie .
– Mollie Anderson
Dear John and members of the Ways family, Please accept our sincere condolences. We are so sorry to learn of Melanie’s death. She was instrumental in helping us, a scared young couple find and purchase our own home; one we still reside in 45 years later. May God comfort your hearts and give you His peace.
– Dolores and Jake Kirkland, Jr
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