Melody Abel’s Memorial Service

 The order of service may be found here.

Melody Abel

January 2nd, 1980 - June 21st, 2026

Melody Marie Abel was born January 2, 1980, in Longview, Washington, and entered the presence of her Lord on June 21, 2026, surrounded by family, friends, and a church family who loved her dearly.

From her earliest years, Melody was a natural athlete, competing in three sports—softball, basketball, and soccer—all the way through middle school and high school. Her high school softball team captured a state championship, and on the basketball court she gave three years as a varsity player, earning MVP honors her senior year. She rounded out her athletic career as a three-year varsity soccer player as well. A gifted student as much as an athlete, Melody graduated as valedictorian of her 1998 class. She went on to complete two years of community college followed by two years at the University of Washington, earning a degree in wildlife land management, a fitting path for someone who so loved the outdoors.

That love carried her to remarkable places. Melody worked on Mt. Rainier and Denali in Alaska, and spent many years working in Antarctica. She served as a wildland firefighter and answered the call to hurricane relief, never shying from hard or dangerous work.

Above all, Melody lived to serve the Lord, giving herself to many mission trips. For the last six years, she was a member of Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, where she lived and served with the same sense of adventure, love, humor, and infectious energy that marked her entire life.

She is survived by her parents, Jim and Karen; her brothers, Nick and David; her grandparents, Gil and Jeannette; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.