Melinda and Mark have always put others before themselves, and have always been genuinely concerned for others. I went to visit Melinda in the hospital the last day she was in ICU before moving to a regular room. She was tired and still losing her breath if she spoke too much. I wanted to know how she was doing and everything that was going on, but Melinda just kept asking about me and my family. She never forgot what was going on in my life, even if it had been a month since we last talked. Melinda wanted to know how we were doing and how Paul was holding up. My father-in law passed away July 7, 2007 and Melinda was the first person I called. It was 6:30 am that we found him and I called her at 6:45 am and asked her if she could come pick up our three little girls. She said "Sure, let me brush my teeth and I'll be right over." She was here by 7 o'clock. Her and Mark watched the girls for us all day so we could get things in order around the house and have some time to cry before trying to comfort our girls. I just want to say thank you Mark and Melinda for all you have done. I hope that in some way we can be as much of a blessing to others as you have been to us. Melinda I will miss you dearly and was blessed to have encountered such a wonderful friendship in this lifetime....We love you Mark, Marli, Marcus, and Manning and are here for you if you need us.
LaRee Whitfield
1 comment:
"A Great Friend"
My first memories of Melinda were a long time ago at the OU Outreach Center. At that time, I didn't know the Evans personally, but her and Mark were around occasionally and even then, I knew there was something special between the two of them.
Anyways, my life went on, and several years later, I met my husband and we got married and started looking for a lifegroup to join. We ended up finding the Evans/Vaughn lifegroup, and never went anywhere else. Over the years, our lifegroup "multiplied" and we found ourselves in a small group with just a few families. It was then that I began to really get to know Melinda. She was so awesome! I have never met anyone more honest, more heartfelt, and more positive. She cared about people, all of them, and always had a listening ear or shoulder to lean on. I always knew I could count on her for anything, and she was the one I called when I went through a tough time in my marriage. Her support and comfort meant the world to me, and I will never forget it. It is no surprise, that a few years later, when I was pregnant, she was the one I wanted to talk to. Everyone who knew Melinda could not miss the fact that she ADORED her children, and that being a mom was the most important thing to her. I feel like Melinda shared so much, and although many days I am very sad that she is not still here sharing life with all of us, I know that she would want us to celebrate her life and love her kids as much as she did. I miss you so much, Melinda, and thank you for all the comfort, advice, love and laughter that you shared with me.
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