Suzanne S. Mellor

March 31, 1934 - November 10, 2025 Suzanne Mellor, a beloved and beautiful mother, wife, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to many, passed away peacefully at her Laguna Beach home on November 10, 2025. She was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan where she met Jim Mellor, her husband of 72 years, while they were both working at Edison's Research Lab in 1952. They described their first meeting as "love at first sight." After getting married and having their son, Jim Mellor Jr., the young family moved to Southern California in 1955 when Jim was offered a job in the aerospace field. Two daughters, Diane and Debbi, were born shortly thereafter, completing their family. Jim's career often required extensive international travel so Suzanne began taking painting classes at Otis Art Institute, the Art Student League and also found time to take private lessons from noted artists. Her love of art and God-given talent fueled a life-long passion for oil painting, specializing in impressionist landscapes. She won many awards for her paintings, had several one-woman shows and had two of her impressionist landscapes published as art prints and cards.

After raising their children in Southern California, Suzanne and Jim relocated to the East Coast so Jim could continue his career at General Dynamics Corporation. While there Suzanne served on the Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts and the Exhibition Circle at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. They also maintained various homes in Laguna Beach which allowed them to spend as much time as possible with their expanding family. Suzanne fell in love with the beauty of Laguna Beach and became active in the local community when they relocated there permanently in 1996. The couple were longtime supporters of the Laguna Playhouse where Suzanne was a founding member of the Playhouse Women. She also lent her artistic talents to painting sets and backdrops for several Playhouse productions.

Suzanne was appointed to the Laguna Beach Arts Commission, was a Trustee for the Laguna Art Museum, and sat on the Board of Trustees for the Laguna College of Art & Design. For their collective efforts, the Mellors were honored in 2016 by the Laguna Beach Art Alliance as "Individual Arts Patrons of the Year" and by the City of Laguna Beach proclaiming a "Mellor Day" in recognition of their gifts to the arts. Suzanne was also a member of Angels of the Arts, a support group of the Orange County Arts Center, and the Visionaires, a support group of the Newport Harbor Art Museum.

Her artistic and creative background didn't stop at oil painting. Over the years she became equally proficient at faux painting, sewing, knitting, and refurnishing furniture and other decorative items. She also supervised the design, construction, remodeling and décor of 8 different properties, three of which were featured in design books. Suzanne was a life-long learner. To further her artistic talents, she enrolled and attended classes at the Laguna College of Art & Design while in her mid-eighties. She was also extremely generous, very stylish, a great hostess and a whiz at crossword puzzles. Suzanne loved traveling the world with Jim for both business and pleasure, taking family trips to Hawaii, Europe, Palm Springs and "Girls Trips" to Asia and Europe with her daughters Diane and Debbi.

Although Suzanne accomplished many things during her life, her close-knit family was what she treasured most. Her happiest times were spent raising her family and enjoying time with her husband Jim, who passed away on February 10, 2025, her children Jim Mellor, Jr., Diane Liljestrom (Brent) and Debbi Rye (Alan), her nine grandchildren Ashley Recktenwald (Dave), Jason Liljestrom (Lauren), Lindsay Rye, RJ Liljestrom (Tracey), Jack Rye (Jenn), Patrick Rye (Anna), Scott Liljestrom (Alexa), Erin Stallman (Ben) and Becca Mellor. Jim and Suzanne were also blessed with 20 great-grandchildren, all of whom loved spending time with their "Great-Grandma Suzanne". She will be missed greatly by her family, friends and everyone else she met throughout her amazing life. We are so grateful for the love, support and inspiration she provided to us all during her lifetime.