Melissa Kay Mcmillen
Melissa Kay (Wagner) Mcmillen unexpectedly died on Thursday, April 18th, 2024. She was a loving mother to Grady and Kate (Shi-tzu, Crash) and beautiful wife to Chris. She will be greatly missed by her large, loving family, many friends, co-workers, and neighbors. She had a very fun sense of humor which she selectively shared, was a spiritual person, fiercely loving, loyal, spontaneous, caring, protective, and had a quick wit and temper. To witness her laugh while riding a rollercoaster was to experience the fullest joy of life. She had many circles of friends, enjoyed yoga, sandy white beaches, wellness, and baseball, especially Grady’s games. She was a bundle of nerves every time he pitched. She loved when Kate scored a goal on a long-range shot in soccer, and how graceful Kate is when running on the soccer field (and she laughed with Kate about sometimes being a little clumsy off the field, just like her mom). She was proud of her kids’ excellence in school and even more proud of their good character. She volunteered diligently, yet sometimes reluctantly, possessing superior organizational and accounting skills while supporting Dublin Scioto Athletics, Dublin Davis Middle School and many other causes and organizations over the years. While she spent most of her years in Ohio, she remained a faithful Nebraskan, like her parents, and devoted fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers (Go Big Red!). Melissa possessed her father’s smarts, stubbornness, and self-reliance, as well as her mother’s loving nature, beauty and devoted caring for family. She adored her Grandparents and most all elderly people. Melissa radiated likeability.
Her priority and first love in life were her children, Grady and Kate, who she cared for, guided, loved, raised and was so very proud of. Her best friend was her husband, Chris, AKA Malcolm, who would affectionately refer to her as “my beautiful wife” and considered her “the best thing that ever happened” to him. For the majority of her accounting career, she was employed as Controller at Bethel Development, where she was surrounded by a caring work family, Dan, Roger, Angie, Lee and Scott.
Melissa was born July 8th, 1977 in Norfolk, Nebraska to Marcus and Linda (Hammer) Wagner and lived with her parents and little sister Andrea in Pierce NE, Menominee MI, and Marinette WI before settling in Logan, OH for the rest of her childhood and high school years. She was fiercely protective of her little sister. She guided and supported her as they grew together through each stage of life, including teaching her to drive, how to dupe the parents and how to navigate motherhood. They were known to frequently break into song each time they were together and they both marveled at the growth of their families and how their girls had a special bond like theirs.
Melissa attended Logan High School and Rio Grande University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was a member of Chi Omega Alpha. Following college, she moved to the Columbus area and began her career in public accounting. In 2003 she met Chris Mcmillen and they were friends before dating, fell in love and were married in 2006. They welcomed Grady Marcus to their family in 2009 and Kate Candace in 2012. Shi-tzus Shoko and Herbie preceded Crash.
Melissa is survived by her husband, Chris Mcmillen, children Grady and Kate, parents, Marcus and Linda Wagner, sister Andrea (Matt) Gerlach and their children Lyla and Will, father and mother-in-law Randy and Kathy Mcmillen, sisters-in-law Jennifer Mcmillen (Matt) Smith, Mary Ann (Shane) Morrow, and nephews Isaac and Aidan Smith and Owen and Mason Morrow, uncles and aunts, Gary (Jean) Hammer, Rick (Deb) Hammer, Paula (Monte) Pfeiffer, Susan (Ed) Schwartz, Oliene Weber, Michelle (Michael) Kinney, and Collette Gillham and honorary uncle, Larry Sims, many Wagner and Hammer cousins plus the large Bishop and Mcmillen families in Mansfield, OH.
She was preceded in death by her Grandparents Dale and Ruby Hammer, Dorothy Oliene and Ben M. Wagner, Aunt Doris Scheer, Uncles Tom Scheer and John Weber and cousins Nicolas Scheer and Joel Pfeiffer.
A visitation for Melissa will be held Wednesday, April 24, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Schoedinger Dublin, 5980 Perimeter Drive, Dublin, OH 43017. A Memorial Mass will occur Thursday, April 25, 2024 at 11:00 AM at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 10700 Liberty Rd, Powell, OH 43065.
Should friends and families desire, the family would appreciate contributions in Melissa’s memory to Grady and Kate’s existing college funds. Contributions can be made through: http://spot.fund/gradyandkatecollege