This is very sad news indeed. I often wandered where her and Roger were even after their separation. I first met her when she lived on Midvail back in 1976 when she lived upstairs from my brother. I worked with Roger when they met and married and built the house on Hillsborough. I had lost touch back in 1994 when she moved from that house and I moved to Simi Valley.

Message from Maggie Mayer

July 27, 2017 5:23 PM

Picture Perfect

Only half of it is in the picture:
a young woman poised
on a tightrope which frays
in both directions. Below,
a river, and, jaws parted
in happy anticipation,
a crocodile, waiting.
Yet she wears soft pink
toe-shoes, a full dress sprigged
with flowers; holds not a practical
umbrella, for balance, but a frilled
parasol. Even in peril
a girl has standards.
There will always be insistence
on beauty. There will always
be a crocodile. Enough here
to form a persona
in which to perform
in this precarious world.

But the soul's work is content,
not form. Fill a heart,
then let it spill over
to water the world.
Our fragile rope-walker
often said, "Save me".
She also said, "Here, for you",
hands stretched forward
to give affection, quiet help,
a fierce loyalty rarely seen
in this world of shifting alliance.
Disguising a bedrock decency,
non-stop humor, like a magician's
patter which masks the real work.
Noise before the bouquet
is pulled from a hat.

Beauty, non-negotiable. Note,
in the picture, pleats in the skirt,
flowers scattered over fabric.
One layer of pretty never enough.
Stitch over the woven cloth;
glitter over a fairy's glowing silks.
Scent. Jewels. Candlelight. Music.
Then, lips moving in silence
with her last words,
a final exhalation of love,
and, perhaps, wonder.
The step down from the rope
onto safe land, at last.
The river crossed.
In memory of Melinda, by Maggie Mayer 2017

Message from Barb Doutt

July 2, 2017 7:05 PM

I knew Melinda when she was married to my brother Roger. I've thought of her often though the years with fondness. Sad news indeed.

Message from Erin Arteaga, Funeral Director

June 24, 2017 11:05 AM

Thank you for giving me the honor of serving your family at such a sensitive time in your lives. From what you've shared with me, Melinda was as beautiful, inside and out, as the artwork she created. An artist has a gift. They tend to truly appreciate the beauty the world has to offer and they are compelled to add to it. You are blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit and I'm sure she felt the same about you. I know Melinda will most certainly be missed by family and friends and the many she inspired along her journey. I pray the way you've chosen to celebrate her memory brings you a sense of peace.

805-482-1959

Melinda Diane McCracken