Melinda Yvonne Reilly

Melinda Yvonne Reilly left us peacefully on Thursday, August 20th, at the Alive Hospice in Nashville. She had achieved a milestone of more than 12 years of sobriety, yet cirrhosis of the liver claimed her life. She was preceded in death by her mother, Brenda; her grandmother, Rita; and her father, Pat. She brought 3 children into this world: Erica, Amber, and Mathew. With limited support throughout her life, Melinda lived through many challenges and overcame many difficulties and struggles. It wasn’t until later in her life that she received the help and guidance that she desperately needed. We are thankful for the support Melinda found later in life. Programs and assistance from the state of Tennessee and the city of Nashville helped make her last 12 years the best of her life, giving her stability and care. We are also thankful to Park Center and its wonderful staff for allowing her and so many others to learn and do things others might take for granted. Melinda made many irreplaceable friends during her time at Park Center, and we are grateful for the supportive moments she shared with them over so many years. This support helped her live well, and we thank Park Center for all the ways it empowered her life. Thank you for letting her be creative in activities no matter how simple or complicated. Thank you for letting her be her true self and express herself freely. Thank you for helping her find comfort and stability in her living arrangements, which allowed her to meet so many new people. She was able to bond with many who she shared a home with, which included many wonderful experiences, but also sometimes very saddening ones when faced with loss, such as her dear friend Di last year. Park Center has helped and continues to help everyone as they process and get through each experience, good or bad. Thank you, Park Center, for the hard work and dedication of all your staff. Thank you to the many doctors and nurses who helped Melinda over the years and always gave her the best, most gentle care. We also appreciate all of the staff at Saint Thomas Hospital and TriStar Hospital who helped her through her final weeks. Our deepest gratitude goes to Alive Hospice and all the individuals who worked with her in the last days of her life. We did not know how death could be so beautiful and kind until we experienced the very gentle, loving, selfless, and considerate care that she received in those final days. There is truly never enough thanks to be said to those in that line of work, and we will forever be grateful for the comfort they gave her. We give special thanks to Natalia for working with Melinda over a long period of time and taking the time needed to understand her personal and medical needs. Thank you for helping her endure many painful medical appointments by being by her side and sharing in many heartwarming moments. She stood as a beacon of light, love, and hope for Melinda and is another benevolent example of selflessness who always goes above and beyond. We thank her so very much. We are thankful to one of her best friends, Cateena, for getting to know Melinda so well in the short time they knew each other. Despite the short time, they developed a bond so strong it left an impression on both of their hearts. We appreciated hearing from Cateena about how often Melinda stood up for her and for others when she wanted to do the right thing. May the sounds of those laughs and the look of smiles on such vibrant faces live on. We are also thankful to another friend, also named Melinda, who strongly advocated for finding crucial contact information to bring Melinda’s family together one more time while she could still enjoy their company before she passed away. It allowed us to experience the best and happiest version of Melinda we had ever had the chance to meet, even as she neared the end of her life. We will cherish that opportunity forever, knowing what a good and impactful person she became over the past 12 years. We are thankful to her Aunt Marianne, who kept in regular contact with her. She did her best to lend an ear and share encouraging words from afar. Melinda truly enjoyed those calls, and it was wonderful that a family member remained so close to her throughout this time. We are thankful to the Inglewood church for bringing her into your community, and to George Russel, who came and prayed for Melinda before she passed away. We are thankful to Melinda’s friend Jessie, who helped her meet Jessie’s uncle and aunt, Eddie and Jan, both of whom Melinda absolutely adored. They treated her so well and kindly picked her up and dropped her off so she could always attend church, which she so enjoyed and looked forward to. They came and prayed for Melinda on her last day, and it was truly a beautiful, loving, and glorious experience to see them pray for her. They were truly living angels both in her life and during her final hours, and we are so thankful to them as well. We are thankful to the Phillips Robinson Funeral Home for taking such good care of Melinda and giving her one last peaceful journey away from this world. These are only the people and things we were able to experience in the brief time we had with Melinda before she passed, but there are so many more people to be grateful for who helped Melinda, whether as a helping hand, a friend, or both. So please, if we didn't mention someone, know it wasn't intentional. Each person in her life who left a good mark on her has had an impact, whether she knew them for a long time or only briefly, in interactions of all shapes and forms. We want you to know how important you were to her and how grateful we are to you as well. Some of Melinda’s favorite things were painting her nails, styling her outfits, wearing beautiful jewelry, picking out her outfits for the day, and her passion for shoes. She always wanted to look her best, even in her final days, not for anyone else but for herself because it made her so happy. She also liked to snack on sweet treats, from all kinds of candy to her favorite dessert, banana pudding, and her favorite drink, Coca-Cola. We even found a packet of candy hidden in a bag with her dental care, which showed how big her sweet tooth was. She loved buying treats and sharing them with her friends. She also loved roses and handing them out to her friends, which is why we would like to do the same at her service. Melinda also liked listening to music. She even had a stereo she loved, along with a mirror she carefully decorated with family photos and icons that meant so much to her. She enjoyed watching scary movies and TV crime dramas. She loved sitting outside chatting with friends. She loved going to the Park Center day program to see her other friends and the great people who worked there and became a family to her. So maybe one day, if anyone is eating something sweet, dressing up just because, taking a sip of Coca-Cola, watching something spooky, or just sitting outside enjoying the day, think of her and let her memory live on. To end this, we say once more: thank you to everyone who made Melinda Reilly’s life better and brighter these past 12 years in particular. While we all wish she could be here with us, we know that she is at peace and enjoying the next journey of the great beyond, shining brightly on all those who made a positive impact on her life. Visitation will be on Saturday September 5, 2026 beginning at 12:00 pm until time of the Service at 2:00 pm at Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home.

Melinda Yvonne Reilly

November 26, 1969 - August 20, 2026