Obituary of Meredith Melby

The afternoon of Monday, October 10, we lost Meredith Anne Melby, the free-spirited daughter of Igor and Agnes Raskazoff, wife of Bernard Melby, proud and loving mother of son Glenn and daughters Claudia Villafuerte (Mauricio) and Sarah Lange (Chuck), and Grandma for Celeste, Minerva, and Carmen. Sister, Aunt, Godmother, Friend—she was many things to many people, including a nurse. “Meredy” worked as an RN for 27 years in the oncology unit at St. Paul Children’s Hospital. Her job was to reduce other people’s suffering, and many of her young patients were touched by her easy laughter and tenderness. Her work required a big heart. “You go home every night and hug your kids,” she once told a friend. Things she loved—reading. Reading and learning. She loved reading so much that Grandma Agnes hid her books so she would come to dinner. She loved not wearing shoes. Lilacs. The color red. If you gave her something yellow (thinking that it was her favorite color) she would not correct you. Her favorite music was her dad’s brassy “oompah” music and/or whatever her children played. If they played the Mamas and the Papas that was all right. She loved road trips for learning and exploration. In later years, books were a way for her mind to travel places her body could not. She loved watching the Vikings while reading. Wheel... of… Fortune! And cribbage, a Raskazoff family legacy. Meredy was easygoing and avoided conflict; however, she stood up for things that mattered. She was one of the first nurses in St. Paul to wear a colored shirt instead of the standard white. The kids, she said, liked colors. She stood up when she advocated for her son Glenn and other children with special needs in the home, in the Burnsville school district, and the community. She contributed to the Minnesota Governor’s first council for special needs education. There are many things about Meredy we may not have known. For example, as a young nurse in the late sixities, she participated in the first bone marrow transplants at the University of Minnesota. After she contracted chicken pox as an adult, she earned an award for the high volume of plasma donations she gave; these donations provided antibodies for patients with weakened immune systems. She gave up and rediscovered knitting several times throughout her life. She saw Jimi Hendrixx, Elvis, and Prince perform live in concert. In 1991, her nursing services were requested for the International Special Olympics held in Minneapolis. In 1994, the Special Olympics for Minnesota awarded Meredy’s family the 1994 Family of the Year. The statistics don’t exist, but no one disputes that she was one of the top 10 all-time readers of mystery novels in the city of Eagan—Evanovich, Hillerman, and Patterson were among her favorite authors. And though she didn’t like wearing shoes, she knew a guy—a vendor in the Minnesota State Fair grandstand—who still sells the most comfortable nursing clogs in the world. There were things besides shoes she didn’t like. Recently, she gave up watching the latest season of Survivor—her favorite show—because the people on the show were too mean. Meredy was also a survivor. She survived uterine cancer. She fought a long battle with knee pain and loss of mobility. In her later years, though, she moved the hearts of those around her with compassion and humor. Meredy knew how the world can be mean to good people. And she knew about bullying before it became a buzzword, educating the world and confronting bullies who taunted kids like her son who were less able to defend themselves. Meredy had our back. She led with her heart. She saw the light in everyone and was always proud of the people in her life, especially all her family. “Amo Grandma.” We will miss you. As Meredy wished it, our family requests the gift of your presence for a visitation with food on Friday, November 4, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Radisson Hotel suite at the Water Park of America. All friends, family, and loved ones are welcome to join us in the water park from 5:00-10:00 p.m. at the Waterpark of America, 1700 American Boulevard, Bloomington, MN. Additional rooms may be reserved for those who wish to spend the night with us. Before making a reservation, please connect with Claudia Villafuerte at claudia.j.villafuerte@gmail.com with interest in staying at the hotel so we can know if group pricing can be an option. Discounted water park passes can be available. We look forward to sharing memories of Meredith with you.