Melissa Ann Wakefield

Melissa Ann (Pealer) Wakefield Melissa Ann Wakefield (nee Pealer), born September 5th, 1958, lost her valiant fight against cancer on July 23rd 2024. Melissa passed in peace with her husband Brad at her side. The words below fail miserably in describing or honoring the beautiful and loving person which was our Melissa. She was the daughter of C.E. “Pete” Pealer and Joyce Pealer (nee Crawford) and the doting big sister to brothers Jeff (Ann) and Greg (Anne) Pealer. Melissa grew up as an Air Force “Brat” following her father’s assignments -- moving thirteen times in her first eighteen years. Melissa graduated from Kaiserslautern High School (with adoption by Bloomsburg High School Class of 1976), and later received her Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Education and Reading from Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania. Her wanderlust as a child continued into adulthood with teaching assignments in Maryland, Newfoundland, Germany (twice), Missouri, The Netherlands, and Belgium – the overseas assignments with the US Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Melissa enjoyed traveling and snow skiing. It was on a Heidelberg Ski Club trip to the glaciers at Pitztal, Austria where she met her husband, Brad. As friends and later a married couple, they packed as much love and living as they could into the short 20 years in which they were together. Melissa excelled in her role as step-mother first to Megan and Craig, and secondly to Blane, Jamie (Nathan Medbery) and Travis (Raksmey) Wakefield. Her greatest joy was as a loving Oma to Kade, Liam, Brynan, Easton, Rowan, and Ashton. Melissa was preceded in death by three significant family members; her father Pete, and her Pappy J and Nana Crawford. In addition to the family mentioned, she will be missed by her nephews Brandon, Blake and Lance and niece Shelby, as well as aunts Sharon and Beverly, as well as numerous cousins. Melissa maintained strong friendship with several friends from her days with DoDEAs, while living in Wakefield, Michigan, and of late in Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina. One of Melissa’s favorite songs was Zac Brown’s “Toes”, as it described one of her favorite activities (“I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand. Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today; life is good today”). She loved any spot near water – especially the ocean. In lieu of contributions, Melissa’s family asks that the next time you are listening to the babble of a stream; viewing the waves lap upon the shore at a lake as in the UP; hearing the waves crash in the Pacific as near Bodega Bay, or the Atlantic as near Hilton Head; pause to enjoy the sound and beauty of the scenery and take a moment to remember Melissa.