Where are they now? 1996 grad lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she manages a funeral home

Have you wondered what happened to Melanie Meredith, daughter of Mike and Sharon Meredith, following her graduation from Greybull High School in 1996?  

Take a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida and ask a taxi driver to take you to Memorial Park Funeral Home.  

No, nothing has happened to Melanie, but you will be quite surprised to walk in the front door and discover that the funeral home manager is none other than your old classmate, Melanie Meredith, now known as Melanie Meredith Bowen.  She looks about the same, except more mature, more self-confident with a self-assurance that has been gained through her journey to this position.

The road to the funeral home in St. Petersburg and her position today began in the fall after her graduation from GHS. She registered at Northwest College in Powell. Her two years at the junior college were busy; many changes in her life occurred.

   She, of course, had her studies. She did not have a major, with her career plans uncertain. She said she thought of a career as a PA, but it was just a thought. She took subjects which interested her, that she had an affinity for.

In addition, the two years included a marriage to GHS grad Leroy Stafford, and the birth of son, Weston. Her life was full.

At the end of her two-year stint at Northwest, the Staffords moved to Spearfish, S.D. where Melanie enrolled at Black Hills State.  Again, she didn’t choose a major, still uncertain where her career path would lead. And, as she did at Northwest, she took subjects that held her interest; subjects that might lead her to a decision; an idea of where she would feel comfortable.

Melanie was in her second year at BHSU when Leroy went down to Florida to visit his father who lived there.  They decided to move there, so after she finished her second year, she and Weston joined him. Melanie said it was while she was studying at Black Hills, that she thought about becoming a funeral director.  “I was interested in going into the funeral industry before moving to Florida.  It felt like a calling.”  Once they moved to Florida, she took a job at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Homes where she was a part-time associate, meaning she assisted funeral directors with the funeral services — helping set up flowers, cleaning, driving the cars for the services, etc.  This cemented Melanie’s decision to follow her dream and become a funeral director.  

Then she enrolled in college and was surprised to find that many of the classes she had taken at Northwest and BHSU were required in the degree she was seeking.  As a result it didn’t take her long to earn her associates degree in funeral services.  She enjoyed her job at Anderson-McQueen, a family-owned business, but she elected to go to work for Memorial Park, a larger company where advancement was more of a possibility.

Sadly, it was during this time that her marriage ended; Leroy returned to Wyoming.  Melanie and Weston remained in Florida.  In the years to follow, she remarried and gave birth to KayLynn, twins Brycen and Peyton and son Devin.  

Just a year ago tragedy struck.  Her youngest son, Devin, was killed in a bicycle/car collision at an intersection near their house.  Melanie felt the comfort of son Weston, who is a martial arts instructor in St. Petersburg; he was the rock that held her together until her mother, Sharon, her brother-in-law and sister Chris and Sheila (Meredith) Kampbell and nephew Brady Shoemaker, all from Sheridan, arrived. Melanie learned again how important family is.  

She and her now ex-husband share custody of their three children.  KayLynn lives with her mother and the twins stay there most of the time.  

After losing her son a year ago, Melanie has more compassion for the people that she meets and deals with on a daily basis.

What does Melanie like about her job?  “I love being able to help people.  I didn’t know what to expect when I first got into the business, never having had much exposure to it previously.  I feel very fulfilled by helping people in their darkest hours to be able to honor their loved ones in the best way possible. I feel as though this business is what I was meant to do.  I am very happy and can’t imagine what else I would do.”