Elinor McGee Melson

Jan. 27, 1947 — Dec. 12, 2012

Elinor passed on Dec. 12, 2012, after battling with ovarian cancer. She was laid to rest at Westwood Hills Memorial Park on Dec. 17. Born and raised in Placerville, Elinor was the daughter of Elinor Cole McGee and Omer Martin McGee. She is survived by her son, Matthew Melson; daughter, Merrily Maloney (Jeremiah); grandson, Kai Andrew; siblings, Ann Crowley (Patrick), Cathryn Morgan (Gene), Gail Brown (Harry) and Michael McGee (Phyllis); and many nieces and nephews.

Those who knew Elinor will surely remember her for being smart, passionate, fiercely independent and just a wee bit … stubborn. She had a quirky sense of humor and was a very compassionate and generous person. While she made a career as a paralegal, she devoted many of her later years to recycling. She was intent on saving the earth and put forth great effort to reduce, reuse and recycle. Along the way, she met and made friends with many people, and was always quick to help a friend in need. She managed to rescue and love many an animal along the way too.

Elinor had great passion for many things. She had a special gift to see the potential beauty in something that would likely go unnoticed by others, as well as a plan to bring its beauty to fruition. She was exceptional at restoring and refinishing furniture and had a love for all things antique. She would not finish a project until it was absolutely perfect, and had been known to disassemble her work and re-do it if there was even the tiniest flaw. The end result was always beautiful; it was truly a gift. She also excelled at gardening (the woman had green hands!), sewing, knitting and crocheting.

As it was with her father, genealogy was very important to Elinor. She devoted countless hours researching, documenting and understanding the connections of her ancestry, even transcribing her great grandmother’s journals. It would bring her great joy to connect the family ‘dots’ and go on adventures to visit and photograph family burial plots, which she added to various ancestry sites.

Elinor is loved, and her presence will be missed by many. May her spirit soar.

All friends and family are welcome to join in a remembrance gathering on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the Pie House, 2901 High Hill Road in Placerville.