In loving memory of Melody Ann Sturgeon, Ross
September 5, 1974 – September 23, 2023
Melody Ann Sturgeon, Ross, age 49, passed away on September 23, 2023.
Melody was born on September 5, 1974 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Michael and Judy Sturgeon. Melody was a sunshiny little girl.
When she was one year old she came out West with her parents and lived in Sausalito and Santa Cruz for a short while.
Moved to Idaho and lived on a farm in Samuels, on the side of a mountain in Hope and in the small town of Clark Fork.
She was a great little traveling buddy, driving in the pickup truck with mom and dad. When she was 3 they traveled back to CA and settled in Leucadia.
She became a big sister to her brother Luke in 1977 and her brother Ryan in 1980. She had a lot of fun times with her family throughout her childhood years enjoying the beach, camping, her pets and her friends.
She loved people and animals, especially horses, and was part of a vaulting team at a young age, doing maneuvers on horseback. She was close with her Aunt Pat and her cousin Race’e and visited them and their horses in Lakeside. Life was simple then and those times are cherished memories.
Melody loved spending summers in Florida with her grandparents. Grandpa Pete always made a way for the kids to come spend time with them. She had a lot of fun in the Florida keys with her brothers, Aunt Chris and Uncle Tucker and cousins Jennifer and Jason, fishing, boating and doing water sports.
Melody met Ian Gray Ross in February 1999 and they got married in June 2002. They really loved each other and enjoyed being together. They shared a lot of good times over the years.
Some of their travels involved going to Florida to visit her Grandma Zosha. They spent a lot of time down at the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk and enjoyed meeting many different people. It was a fun and relaxing place away from their jobs.
Holidays were always a time for everyone to get together and Melody and Ian were a big part of these occasions.
They enjoyed living in Encinitas where they lived throughout their marriage. Much of the time they lived in the neighborhood above Sunshine Gardens where Melody worked for many years.
She loved plants and being a part of the Sunshine Gardens Family. She gardened since she was a young girl and did so up until her passing. Gardening was her passion.
Melody and Ian loved walking their dog on the neighborhood trails. It was fun for them. They liked to cook and have their friends stop by. Melody loved her friends as if they were family.
Melody suffered from Lupus for many years and it slowly took its toll on her. The drugs prescribed for the symptoms did not make it any easier. Addiction often starts with prescription drugs opening the door for more dangerous illegal drugs, that are everywhere now, which should be a warning to everybody. Lupus also affected her skin and that was always a challenge for her to deal with.
She loved the outdoors but sun exposure was actually bad for her condition. We were all praying and very hopeful when she entered the rehabilitation facility. God answered our prayers but not the way we had hoped for.
Melody expressed wanting her ashes to be put out near the jetty in Dania Beach Florida, when her time came. Her Uncle Kelly and Grandma Maxine are already there. She and Ian always visited that spot at the beach.
Melody is survived by her husband Ian Ross and his mother, Joanna, father, Doug and his wife Terry, sister, Erin and her husband Chris. She is also survived by her parents Michael and Judy Sturgeon, brother Luke Sturgeon, brother Ryan Sturgeon and his wife Erin, and their children, Shenoa, Corbin, Graham and Melea. Cousin, David in Lake Tahoe and his family, Aunt Jill and family in Santa Barbara, cousin Kelly and daughter Sierra in Florida, cousins, Race’e, her husband Patrick, and their children Jaxon, Grayson, and Declan. Jesse, his wife Brooke, and their children Liam, Lillian, and Lennox in Colorado. In Washington, her Aunt Chris and Uncle Tucker, cousin Jennifer and her children, Chase and Sophia, and in Hawaii, cousin Jason and wife Jamie. She loved us all and always gave the best hugs! We will miss her being here with us.
She always loved the little things, a feather, a bird she saw, a flower or the sun coming out on a gray day. She saw them as a touch from God and was thankful for them. She chose a hard road but always believed Jesus was her Savior. He took her home before she struggled any more. We will be together again someday.
Thank you to all that loved her. She is free!
GODS GARDEN
God looked around his garden
And found an empty place.
He then looked down upon the earth, and saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
Gods garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering,
He knew that you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered “Peace be thine.”
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you did not go alone…
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
