I lost a good friend and daughter way too early on Jan. 7.
At 45 she passed away after a seven-week battle with Melanoma cancer. It was gratifying to see the Stake Center filled for her funeral.
The hugs and the tears from her many friends will always be remembered. I will miss her phone calls each week. Usually she had a question dealing with her real estate business.
She grew up in the family’s “Bill Brown Realty” and was an excellent Associate Broker, having raised her family as a single mom while make a living providing homes for others.
I will miss her smile, her hugs, her advice, her love of family, our lunches together, and our hiking adventures together.
In early November we hiked from Sundance to Stewart Falls. She kept encouraging this 79-year-old Dad to keep going.
“We’re almost there. It’s just around the corner,” she would say.
She got you laughing and having fun. She enjoyed life each day as though it would be her last. She loved the outdoors, hiking, water-skiing, snowboarding at Sundance, and being a tree-hugger.
She loved the arts and music. Melissa (we called her Missy Sunshine), had that captivating personality that drew everyone in as an instant friend.
It did not matter what you did, what you looked like, how much money you had, or whether you were poor or rich. If you met Melissa, you became a friend.
She cared for the downtrodden, the sick, and the less fortunate with a passion for doing good to all she met. She had an amazing “tribe” of friends, always encouraging them to join in the fun.
Melissa was born in Prove to W. William (Bill) Brown Jr. and Linda Kaye Mecham Brown on Feb. 22, 1974. Her mother passed away when Melissa was only 14 months old.
She was raised by her father and stepmother (Mom) Marilyn McMeen Brown. She graduated from Springville High School and later in life got an Associate Degree in Behavioral Sciences from Utah Valley University.
She was married to Jason Hathaway in 1993. They later divorced. They had three children: Linda Autumn Young (Jaden), Austin Sil Hathaway, and Alivia Brooklyn Hathaway. She also had a grandson, Nolan Young.
She was so happy to be a grandma. He was one of her great joys. She is also survived by her siblings: Wendy Lynne Parmley (Mark), William Cary Brown (Khristey), Simeen Brown (Todd Hannig), Eva Marie Fisher (Todd), and Andrew Kim Brown (Adelin).
The greatest lesson she taught was to “Endure the hard times with a smile.” (Serve Daily submission.)
