Melissa Marion (Peterson) Coyne met the world on November 8, 1982 in Peoria, Illinois. You may think that puppies, kittens and baby hedgehogs are the cutest, but they couldn’t hold a candle to how adorable she was. She had a pelt of hair to rival an ewok, giant baby seal eyes, and dimples so deep the angels had to have kissed her with vigor.
As the youngest of Darryl and Candy’s five children, she learned quickly how to play hard and keep up with the mischief. She spent her school years in Arlington Heights, where as a child she was known to be the neighborhood Mowgli, often spotted with a dirty face high in a tree. She had a chair at her desk in school, but rarely used it, choosing to jog in place while she did her schoolwork instead.
As she grew she retained her energy and channeled it into sports. Volleyball: she aced it. Basketball: she holds a State Championship ring.
Track and Field: she secured a scholarship to the University of Illinois. It wasn’t a competitiveness that drove her to succeed in sports, but just boundless energy and natural talent. She could take a loss and still stay positive, as she was inherently good-natured.
Her enthusiasm was her defining trait. While she was attending Buffalo Grove High School, she met the yin to her yang, the sing to her song, the clam to her chowder; a blonde lad with smiley blue eyes and dimples to match. Brian Coyne was Melissa’s first and only love.
They are the stuff of novels and sonnets. They dated for eleven years before tying the knot in 2010, throwing one of the best parties to hit Chicagoland. They traveled the world and shared their love with everyone fortunate enough to cross their paths.
But most importantly they shared their love with one another, unwavering through her last breath. Melissa was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in January of 2017. She lost her leg in June of that year, but was on the road to recovery.
She got the best new leg available, Old Faithful as she called it, and was active in her rehabilitation. Last Christmas she received a standing ovation when she walked to accept her present from Santa amongst a houseful of family and friends. In the spring she made a trek to Texas to visit family and friends and stop by the Silos to try some of Chip and Jo’s famous cupcakes.
It was a complete shock when she was re-diagnosed in April, and incomprehensible that she was called home on November 11th. Some flames just burn so bright, they only burn half as long. Please join us in celebrating Melissa’s life on Thursday, November 15, from 5 PM until 9 PM at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Old Rand Rd.
, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. Funeral service will be Friday, November 16, at 11 AM at St. Paul United Church of Christ, 401 E. Main St, Barrington, IL. All are invited to meet the family directly at church.
Entombment to follow at 1 PM at Mt. Emblem, Elmhurst. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The V Foundation, Victory over Cancer, www.
jimmyv.org/donate.
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