Marilyn K. Melancon

Marilyn K. Melancon, lovingly know as Mom, Nan, or Mimi, passed away, peacefully, on January 3, 2026; she was 90 years old.

Marilyn, and her twin sister, Marjorie Peytral, were born on November 20, 1935, in New Orleans, LA; Marjorie is the elder twin. Marilyn was one of seven children, raised by her parents, William R. and Marguerite Kelly. After her Aunt Dorothy (Dot) passed away, Marilyn’s uncle, Harold Kelly, and her cousin, Sharon (Kelly) Dooley, moved in with the family.

Growing up in New Orleans, Marilyn and Marjorie attended Mater Dolorosa Elementary School. They attended McMain High School, for the first three years. For their senior year, they transferred to St. Stephens High School, as McMain began to allow boys to attend; the twins wanted to concentrate on school, not boys.

After high school, Marilyn married Paul S. Melancon, who is her former husband. They welcomed their first child, Pamela, moved to California, and had four boys, Paul Jr., James, Kenneth and Michael. She retired from Douglas Aircraft Company, where she coordinated training classes for aircraft maintenance workers.

Marilyn was a devoted, single mother whose love, strength, and guidance shaped the lives of those around her. She found joy in the simple things—reading books, Sudoko puzzles, TV Mysteries, and the warmth of her home.

Her generosity, kindness, and resilience will be deeply missed and forever remembered. Marilyn’s memory will live on in the lives she touched and we will always remember the love she gave so freely.

Marilyn was preceded in death, by her parents, William R. and Marguerite Kelly, her siblings, William R. Kelly, Jr., Robert Kelly, and his wife, Renée, August J. Kelly, Katheryn (Kelly) DuBroc, and her husband Vincent, and James Kelly, her nephew René Peytral, her daughter-in-law, Susan Melancon, and her great-grandson, Theodore Lin. She is survived by her sister, Marjorie K. Peytral, her sister-in-laws, Gloria Kelly, Lois Kelly and Dorothy Kelly, her children, Pamela A. Bray, and her husband Mark, Paul Stephen Melancon Jr., James A. Melancon, and his wife, Cecilia, Kenneth C. Melancon, and his wife Jennifer, Michael J. Melancon, and his wife Pamela, eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

Her funeral mass will be held on May 16, 2026 at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 1729 Stop 30 Road, Hendersonville, TN 37075. Visitation time will be at 10:00am and the Funeral Mass will begin at 11:00am. Friends are invited to join the family for a luncheon following the mass at the church. Her interment will be held at a later, unspecified date.