One of the first memories I have of Melisse was meeting her the summer before our freshman year of high school. We were both taking health during summer school, although in separate classes, were able to visit during breaks. I was one of Molly Bolton’ s close friends and I knew she was best friends with Melisse. Melisse was such a vibrant and exciting person from the first day I met her. She exuberated so much energy that I knew we were going to have fun in soccer the following year.

While in freshman biology class together, Melisse would always make me laugh to pass the time. Occasionally, we would get scolded by Ms. Williams, our teacher but we didn’t mind. I remember complaining that my shin guards from soccer smelled bad one day in class and from that day on, Melisse gave me the name, “Stinky Suzy.” Unfortunately the name stuck and other people called me that too! But I didn’t mind because both Melisse and I decided to give other people on the soccer team funny names as well. Melisse’s was “Maggot Melisse,” I still laugh about that time in Biology today!

Junior year, one night after a big win at a soccer game, a big group of us girls spent the night at Brooke Bukosky’s house. We were all playing the card game Spoons when I got up to leave for the bathroom. When I got back, we continued playing the game in which I thought I won. As it turn’s out, Melisse had rigged the game somehow to make me think that I had won, when actually I didn’t, and everyone else had been in on the joke too. Melisse jumped up and yelled, “Jokes on you!! !“ All of us girls still joke about that night and yell, “Jokes on you!” - one of Melisse’s famous quotes.

I’ve always been a little uptight, never wanting to get in trouble, Melisse definitely taught me to lighten up and enjoy life; a little trouble never hurt anybody. As juniors in high school, Melisse, Kristen Haley, and I snuck off campus for lunch in Melisse’s minivan. We somehow got caught and were sent to the principal’s office later that day. We were assigned Saturday suspension and I was devastated. I couldn’t believe that I had gotten in such trouble at school and it was Melisse’s idea for us to leave campus! Saturday came around and we all went to suspension and joked about it afterward. I’ll never regret going off campus that day because if it hadn’t been for Melisse, I may never had relaxed more and enjoyed life.

There are so many other wonderful memories I have of Melisse such as Senior Girls’ Dance, her teaching me to eat popcorn with soy sauce, playing soccer, and eating tons of Chinese food. Some of my last memories of us together were the summer after our freshman year in college. We all came back to Temple and I remember spending almost every day of the summer with her and Molly. I enjoyed all of her opinions about the world, music, and anything else that came to mind. Melisse widened my perspective of the world and taught me to think outside the box.

With her intelligence, excitement, energy, laughter, beauty, and athieticism, Melisse will NEVER be forgotten. I think of her every day and wish I had more time with her. Last Saturday, Temple High hosted a girls’ alumni soccer game. On all of the T-shirts Coach Bersoza had made, there was the number 8, Melisse’s number. All of the alumni who played dedicated that game to her in which we tied 3-3. I wish she could have been there to play, I know we would have won the game with Melisse! I’ll never forget all the joy that Melisse gave to me in life, how she made things seem so new and fresh, and the fun I had with her. She is a friend who I will treasure all my life. I think of y’all and pray for your family daily.

Love, Suzy Wilson