65
Winner, SD
December 31, 2020
Melanie Ann Coffey was born on January 22, 1955, to Orville and Mary Olson in Madison.
Melanie graduated from Madison High School in 1974. She later met her future husband in 1978 while both were working at McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. Melanie had started in housekeeping and then transferred into the physical therapy department.
Melanie was married to Kevin Coffey on May 26, 1979, in Sioux Falls. He worked in materials management and Melanie started work in medical records. Nearly every day they would pack a lunch and eat together in the hospital cafeteria.
In pursue of Kevin’s healthcare career, they moved to Yankton in 1981, with stops in Red Wing, Minn., Elk Point, back to Sioux Falls, then to Freeman and Arlington before settling in Winner in 2013.
Melanie and Kevin custom built their home in Arlington in 2005 and learning from that experience, designed a home on 11 acres south of Winner in 2014. Melanie would spend time in the kitchen looking out the patio window at deer, pheasants, rabbits and Canadian geese while working on embroidery or a word find book.
Melanie became a homemaker and stay at home mom with the birth of their first son. Over the next 30 years she volunteered at the Sioux Falls School District, then Freeman School District and the Arlington School District. After moving to Winner, she volunteered at the Winner Nursing Home playing cards and BINGO. In 2017, in addition to volunteering at the nursing home, she began working as a paid employee over the noon hour on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays waiting on residents in the dining room as a hospitality aide.
She became very attached to many of the residents and was deeply impacted on anyone’s passing.
Her passion was family and stayed in touch with her seven siblings, never forgetting their birthdays. She also enjoyed her Cocker Doodle dog, Kasey, camping, traveling, needlepoint and working on word find. The family goal was to see as many national parks as possible, going to Glacier, Yellowstone, Tetons, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Arches, Pipe Organ, Yosemite, Big Horn Battlefield, Craters of the Moon, Avenue of the Giants, Death Valley and Rocky Mountain. In the process also took the opportunity to visit Tombstone, Mackinaw Island, Carlsbad Caverns, Durango/Silverton Railroad, Royal Gorge, Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods.
She was always about maintaining traditions as a family. The boys opening one gift on December 23, making her mom’s favorite “mocho cakes” at Christmas, keeping a journal for all their travels and special events in the life of the boys. But by far, the biggest tradition was to spend nearly every Memorial weekend in the Black Hills, most of the time at Beaver Lake campground outside of Custer. The family became so close to Max and Cindy, the owners, that when it was raining, snowing or too cold for other campers to utilized the two-story waterslide and pool, they would give the keys to the gate and pump house for Clay and Kyle’s exclusive use.
Melanie is preceded in death by her parents Orville and Mary, and two infant brothers.
Melanie is survived by her husband, Kevin, and sons Clay and Kyle; brothers and sisters; Jim Olson (his wife Joann passed just last year) New Prague, Minn., Gail Booth (Tom) Baldwin, Mo., Bruce Olson (Karen) Bennett, Colo., Peg Thompson (Mike) Sun City Ariz., Craig Olson (Marlene) Sioux Falls, Valerie Manthey (Craig) Hartford, and Celelia DeWaard, Sioux Falls; mother-in-law Betty Coffey; sister-in-law, Crystal Erdmann and numerous nieces and nephews.
A visitation was held on January 6 at Mason Funeral Home in Winner. Funeral services will be held in Sioux Falls. At this time, dates and time are pending.
Arrangements provided by Miller Funeral Home.