Melodee Lynn Taylor

July 17, 1946 - November 29, 2020

Melodee Lynn Taylor of Merritt Island, FL passed away Sunday, November 29, 2020. Born in Johnson City TN on July 17th, 1946, Melodee attended East Tennessee State University where she met the love of her life, Ron Taylor, who became her husband of 54 years. She received her bachelor’s degree from Rollins in 1979, and dedicated her life to teaching, inspiring, and loving young children at Our Saviour Catholic School and then at schools in Brevard’s public school system from which she retired in 2003. To know Melodee was to love her. She was spontaneous & full of life and always had a smile on her face. The one word that best describes her is ‘yes’ – yes to life; yes to adventures; yes to love for family and friends, the homeless, and strangers soon to become friends. She made sure one did not get too comfortable and fall asleep and miss out on life. Melodee was an avid walker and hiker and spent many hours with friends hiking in her beloved Tennessee mountains. She loved to travel and always took the roads less traveled to seek out a new adventure. She and Ron loved the Florida Keys, Pine Island and traveling to their second home in the mountains of east Tennessee. She went skiing in Colorado, drove the coast of California, explored several Hawaiian Islands, and visited NYC on numerous occasions. She visited friends and family in Duluth, Minnesota, Utah, Chicago, Athens, Georgia, and Ireland where she was drawn back time and again to visit dear friends and to comb the country, she considered another home. She and Sandy were even there in Dublin for the Pope’s visit. She loved to travel with her best friend, Sandy, and they went on many adventures together, but her favorite were their trips to New Orleans, Biloxi (where they stayed with the “Nuns”) and to Washington DC for both Inaugurations of President Obama (a truly amazing experience). Melodee loved to take the ordinary and make it extraordinary, whether in decorating, or celebrating an occasion. She loved picking up ‘treasures’ on her treks – many a treasure found its way into her classrooms to the delight of her students, while others made signature statements in her unique, beloved coastal home. And some, upon realization they just ‘wouldn’t do’, ended up in one of her famous garage sales well-known throughout the neighborhoods of Merritt Island. We wish her a grand time in her ‘yes’ to this next adventure with Ron. Melodee was preceded in death by her husband William Ronald (Ron) Taylor, her parents Guy Suddeth Miller and Francis Craig Jones (Miller) and her brother Carl Suddeth Miller. Melodee is survived by her loving daughter, Cindy Taylor Roark, son in law, James Roark, her grandsons, Dakoda Taylor, Desmond Roark, and William Roark, her bonus kids, John Butler (Sharon) Keli Butler Wildermuth (Jack), and Mike & Becki Butler and her bonus grandkids, Jackson, Joshua, Hannah, Mikee, Jacob and Riley. She is also survived by two brothers Thomas (Tommy) Lee Miller (Marilyn) and Alfred Timothy (Tim) Miller (Diane). She is survived by nieces and nephews: Tommy Lee Miller (Carrie), Patrick Miller (Becky), Lucky Miller (Rebecca), Jamaica Miller, Dixie Miller Fowler (Matt), several great nieces and nephews: Kailey Miller Hell (Ryan), Jake Miller, Julian Miller, Lily Eve Miller, Sophie Miller, Waylon and Lucky Miller and 2 great-great nieces Aria and Elliot Hell. Melodee will also be missed by her devoted cat, Grizzy. We will hold a celebration of life for Melodee in late spring (due to Covid) in both Florida and Tennessee. We will post in the paper once we have an exact date or you can send your contact info to Cindy @ [email protected] and I will send you the info once we decide on a date. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Melodee’s name to The Brevard County Humane Society or to Hearts and Hands (Tony O’Flaherty Foundation- write Hearts & Hands in the memo, to 300 N US1 Cocoa, FL 32922) to help feed the homeless, both organizations were near and dear to Melodee.