Melanie Marie Mason

Obituary Melanie Marie Wells Mason peacefully passed from this life on September 9, 2014, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She was 65 years old. She was born July 16, 1949, in Denison, Texas to V. I. and Louise Wells. V.I. was in the United States Army Air Corps, and the family moved several times during Melanies childhood. She went to high school in Idabel, Oklahoma and considered that her home town. Melanie valued family and friends more than anything else in her life. She was a loyal, true friend through thick and thin, no matter how bad things got. She was named after the "Gone with the Wind" character Melanie, and she was as sweet, kind, and considerate of others as her namesake. To know Melanie was to love her. She never judged or criticized, and you could trust her with your innermost secrets. Melanie had a passion for cooking, dancing, and playing games, and she was great at all of them. At every family gathering she created some fabulous dish; she could always be counted on to start a game of some kind for all to play. Some of the familys best memories of her are sitting at the dining room table playing games, laughing, and talking until the wee hours of the morning. Her sister, Linda, fondly remembers playing "Spoons" as teenagers and laughing so hard they peed their pants. As a young single mother, Melanie raised two children during very challenging times. She was a pioneer and trend setter in the work force blazing trails for women today. Excelling in the male dominated sales business, she eventually started her own company called "Dealers Express," creating and selling auto dealers printing and printing supplies. Her endless need to nurture others compelled her to become a foster parent, in both an official and unofficial capacity, after her children had grown and left home. She loved, nurtured, and mentored several young men, women, and children, all of whom cherish her deeply. In her later years, she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease called Myasthenia Gravis. This disease was extremely challenging, but like every other challenge in her life, Melanie took it in stride and spent her last years making the best of it. Even while dealing with this debilitating disease she continued to cook, play games, and brighten the lives of everyone she knew and met. Melanie lost her only son, V. J. on March 31, 2001 but, in typical Melanie fashion, she grieved quietly and persevered. She is survived by her daughter, Colonel Mechelle Tuttle and her husband, Lt Col (r) Michael Tuttle of Colorado Springs, CO; her grandsons, Ryan and Drew Tuttle; two sisters, the Honorable Linda Bayless, and her husband, Gene Bayless of Kingsland, TX; and Doris Curry and her husband, Dr. Mike Curry of Albuquerque, NM ; and six nieces and nephews, Ashley Weaver of Frisco, TX, Craig Miller of Sonoma, CA, Jennifer Sampson of Tyler, TX, Troy Bayless of Divide, CO, Christopher Curry of Sumter, SC and Emily Curry of San Diego, CA. She was preceded in death by her son, V.J. Alexander, and her parents. A memorial service will be on Monday, September 15, 2014 at 11:00 am at Cappadona Funeral Home, 1020 E. Fillmore St., Colorado Springs, CO, with Chaplain Darlene Avery with Rocky Mountain PACE officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions be made in Melanies honor to Rocky Mountain Health Care Services, with PACE, 310 14th St., Colorado Springs, CO 80904, https://www.rmhcare.org/donate . Services Cappadona Funeral Home 1020 E Fillmore St Colorado Springs, CO 80907