On October 15, 2024, our loving mother, grandmother, and wife, Melanie Ann Naumann passed away peacefully surrounded by her family. She met her final moments with the same grace and dignity as she lived her 78 years. Her legacy of love, compassion, and creativity will live on through her family and friends.

Melanie loved horses, animals of all stripes, and cared for many beloved pets throughout her life. At heart, she was an interior designer and an artist. Melanie could glance at an unfinished room, and re-imagine it into a space for her grandchildren to play, pets to frolic, and for family members to gather in comfort and beauty. Her compassion, wit and humor worked the same transformation in her loved ones. It was her light and loving touch, a caress on a loved one’s cheek that we will remember and miss most of all.

Melanie’s bedrock faith was her family: husband Ken, son John and daughter-in-law Cherie, daughter Mary Ann and son-in-law Peter, and cherished grandchildren, Taylor, Chase, Lucas and Julian. True to the largeness of her heart, the circle of loved ones did not end with her immediate family—it included her extended family: her nephews and nieces Tim (Beth), Mike (Jean), Lisa, Steve (Sandra), Scott (Shelly), Katie, and Melinda. Her compassion was such that even before having her own children, Melanie fostered siblings Andy and Diane for several years, when she was barely a young adult herself.

Born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1946 in the historic Dr. Increase Mathew’s House. Her family moved to a farm home where Melanie fell in love with and excelled at horseback riding, art, and music. These early passions would shape her life's work and her creative spirit.

After graduating from Bishop Rosecrans High School in 1964, she attended Edgecliff (Xavier) College and graduated in 1968 with honors. Melanie was selected by her College to appear in the 1967-68 Edition of "Who's Who Among Students"

Melanie and Kenneth married in June 1969 and lived in Cincinnati. She became a self-described “professional volunteer” in this time of her life. During this time, she volunteered tirelessly with organizations such as Kindervelt, was the president of the Forest Park Garden Club, and served as a substitute teacher at her children's schools. Her lifelong friends, Marilou and Phil, remained a cherished part of her life.

Melanie moved with her family to Phoenix, Arizona in 1983 and served as the Tempe Soccer Club's Treasurer and helped coordinate and set-up soccer tournaments with her good friends Carol and David Bailey. Her support in  the community followed with her children's activities and watched with pride as they went on to college and graduate school, and started families of their own.

In 2001, Melanie embarked on her next big adventure moving cross-country again with her husband Ken to Maryville, Tennessee. There on a hilltop surrounded by trees, she designed and helped build a beautiful custom home on five acres, with a gorgeous view of the Smoky Mountains.

Never one to sit idle, Melanie continued her charitable work in Maryville by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, helping build houses for those in need. She found a group of friends, aptly-named “Blount Bunch,” who formed a close-knit bond, through their volunteer efforts. She shared laughter and life over lunches at Subs & Such with friends Connie (Dee), Margie, and Susie.

In 2023, Melanie moved back to Arizona to be closer to her children and grandchildren. For a year and a half, she was able to live in a house just around the corner from her daughter Mary Ann and across the street from her son John. Even then, her eye for design was still at work, transforming that house into a home, muted brown walls into a tasteful navy blue, a dark kitchen into a sparkling white space for family to gather and enjoy a meal, and reimagining a basic bathroom into a spa-like space where those with physical limitations could renew themselves and find respite.

Given six months to live over two years ago, Melanie beat the odds and her family was blessed with two more years all together. In her final years, despite the growing limitations of her body, she taught us a lesson in transcending limits with her fighting spirit. With grace, she faced ill health with humor and humility, and always with her characteristic patience.

Though our hearts are filled with grief, we think of Melanie now, free from pain and without limits, riding her beloved childhood horse Spooks through an endless field. We think of her sitting with her sister, Mary Ann (for whom her own daughter Mary Ann is named), enjoying a glass of white wine and engaging in deep conversation, as bonded siblings do. We see her surrounded by her many pets, who all have been waiting patiently to welcome Melanie to her eternal rest.

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