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/