Melanie Lynn Tate Wyatt, 56, of Bothell, passed away on June 17, 2018 at the Evergreen Health Hospice Care Center in Kirkland. She was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago and had recently been overwhelmed with a myriad of related medical complications.
Melanie was born in South Charleston, West Virginia, on April 27, 1962 to the late Paul C. Tate and Mary B. Tate. She was preceded in death by her father and her maternal and paternal grandparents.
Melanie was a devout Christian who has gone to be with her Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. She had a special place in her heart for the Christian music singers Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, whom she saw perform live many times.
She moved to Ferndale in 1970 at the age of 8 after living overseas in Iran and Aruba and several states where her father was a civil engineer. She moved to West Virginia in 1977 to live with her mother and grandparents A.J. and Lillian J. Belcher. She was married to Rick Adkins and had one son, Andrew Noah Adkins. She moved back to Washington State in 1995 and later married Robin (Rob) K. Wyatt.
Melanie had a career working for community-based organizations that helped people who could not afford basic necessities like food and heating bills, and later at Planned Parenthood of Bellingham. She had a lifetime love for her kittens and cats and a special affinity for all things Hello Kitty.
Survivors include her husband, Robin K. Wyatt of Bothell; her son, Andrew N. Adkins and his wife Teresa of Barboursville, West Virginia; her mother, Mary B. Tate of Bellingham; two siblings, Mary-Paula Tate of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and Timothy S. Tate of Bellingham; grandson Owen Adkins; stepgranddaughter Embry Ambrose; step-children Jessica R. Wyatt, Jordan R. Wyatt-Diaz Leal, Mary F. Wyatt and Ryley K. Wyatt; and nine grandchildren.
Melanie will be cremated and a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7, in the Congregational Church on Lummi Island, followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution can be made in Melanie’s name to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/about-us).
