Madeleine Carol (Putnam) Melo

On Friday, April 17, 2026, Madeleine Melo passed away at her home in Star, Idaho.

Madeleine was born April 13, 1945, in Visalia, California, to Dorothy Ada (Dougherty) and Lloyd Fletcher Putnam. At age eleven, she moved with her family to Placerville, California, where she graduated in 1963 from Eldorado Union High School.

She pursued a degree in nursing, attending Sierra Junior College and later Chico State. She completed part of her clinical training at Travis Air Force Base (1966-1967) before beginning her career as a registered nurse at Stanford Hospital. Drawn to women’s health, she continued her education at the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, earning her certification in Nurse Midwifery in 1975—becoming one of the first certified nurse midwives in California (#23).

Madeleine was a true pioneer in the field of nurse midwifery, helping establish the vital role midwives play in both hospital settings and smaller communities. Over the course of her career, she delivered more than 2,000 babies, coaching mothers through some of the most challenging and beautiful moments of their lives. Her work was not just a profession—it was a calling.

In 1979, Madeleine settled in Fort Bragg, California, where she spent decades caring for families through Mendocino Coast Women’s Health Center and Mendocino Coast Hospital, later continuing her work with Sutter Lakeside Hospital. She also helped educate future nurses and midwives, contributing to programs at the College of the Redwoods, Meharry Medical College, Tennessee, and the University of California, San Francisco.

In 1987, Madeleine married the neighbor across the street, Jere Melo—the love of her life. Jere brought with him a large Italian family that she cherished deeply. She embraced new traditions, gatherings, and strong bonds that came with being a Melo.  Family was central to their lives, and they took great joy in bringing people together and being present for life’s milestones.

Together, Madeleine and Jere poured their time and energy into making their community better.  Jere served as both mayor and council member of Fort Bragg, while the two of them sat on multiple boards and supported organizations including the Fort Bragg–Otsuchi Cultural Exchange Association,  the Mendocino Sports Foundation, and the Redwood Regional Logging Conference.  They shared a love of travel and cultural connection, making several meaningful trips to Japan through Fort Bragg’s sister city, Otsuchi.  Their partnership was rooted in service, shared purpose, and deep love.

After Jere’s passing in 2011, Madeleine continued to honor the life they built together through community involvement and advocacy.  She founded the Jere Melo Foundation and was a passionate advocate for environmental and public safety issues, working to raise awareness about the dangers of illegal marijuana grows in California forests.

Madeleine had a strong sense of family and showed up—consistently and wholeheartedly—for the people she loved. She celebrated life’s milestones as opportunities to travel, gather, and be present with family.  Her presence mattered, and people felt it.

Later in life, Madeleine moved briefly to Mount Shasta before settling in 2018 in Star, Idaho, where she built a home to be closer to family and enjoy retirement.  She loved traveling with family and friends, quilting, and genealogy.  Her travels often included close nursing friends—Judy Corradi, Karen Petersen, Carla Coverston, and Jayne Bush—as well as family.  Hawaii was one of her favorite destinations, and in April 2025, she celebrated her 80th birthday in Kauai surrounded by loved ones.

Genealogy was more than a hobby—it was a passion that took her and her sister Ada across the United States and abroad to England, Ireland, and Germany, tracing the footsteps of their ancestors.

Madeleine was preceded in death by her husband, Jere Melo; her parents; her brother, David Putnam; and her great-nephew, Matthew Lancaster.

She is survived by her stepchildren, Christine Melo of Texas and Greg Melo of Coos Bay, Oregon; her step-granddaughter, Alison Hunt of Coos Bay, Oregon; her sisters, Barbara Harris of Caldwell, Idaho, and Ada Kornmeyer of Port Ludlow, Washington; her nieces, Erika Putnam, Erin Timinsky, and Betsy Melo; and her nephews, Clint Lancaster, David Lancaster, Scott Harris, Robert Harris, Michael Harris, Tony Spinetta, Jimmy Spinetta, Michael Spinetta, and David Melo, along with many great- and great-great-nieces and nephews.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered for her strength, her service, and the way she showed up for the people she loved.

A celebration of life will be held in Star, Idaho on June 13, with a second celebration to be held in Mount Shasta, California On June 27. Interment will take place in Mount Shasta, where she will be laid to rest with her husband, Jere.

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