Martha Melyan Brunelle

Martha Melyan Brunelle, 67, of Dunmore, died Tuesday at Moses Taylor Hospital. Born in Jersey City, N.J., she was the daughter of Theodore Melyan and the late Olga Milancevich Melyan.

A graduate of Montclair State University with a degree in music, she was a concert pianist and music teacher and a member of ASCAP.

Martha was known for her passionate love of Classical music and dogs (Golden Retrievers and Labs especially!). She passed this on to both of her sons during their many years of homeschooling with her, years they will forever appreciate and which neither of them will ever forget.

Martha taught her sons and family they should always stick together, no matter what. She was the first to remind them that nothing was impossible if they believed in themselves and God. She maintained that faith until her dying breath, something we should all aspire to achieve. Among those who will miss her, we must include her fictional creations for the "Scranton Post," the squirrley pet detective Mr. X and his French Poodle secretary, Ms. Barkley.

You don't need to make a billion dollars to make a lasting impression on the world; Martha taught us that all you need is to be a good person, always stick to your beliefs, and never give up, even when facing an "inevitable" outcome. The world will not be as imaginative, as crazy, as dynamic, or as beautiful without her. We pray that she is playing a piano somewhere, surrounded by angels.

In addition to her 98-year-old father, Theodore Melyan, she is survived by two sons, Theodore M. Brunelle and wife, Erika; Alexander M. Brunelle and his girlfriend, Alexandria Colon; her former husband, George Brunelle; a grandson, Nicholas Brunelle; and two granddaughters, Jasmine Brunelle and Laura Rosnoi; three cousins, Nina Kozain, Gregory Loan and Dr. Nicholas Loan.

The family would like to extend its gratitude to the doctors, nurses and staff at Moses Taylor Hospital for their tremendous care, concern and heroic efforts on Martha's behalf in her final hours.

A Parastas service will be held on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in the Neil W. Regan Funeral Home Inc., 1900 Pittston Ave., Scranton, PA 18505, by Mitered Archpriest John C. Kassatkin of Elevation of the Holy Cross Russian Orthodox Church. Funeral services will be Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in the funeral home, followed by interment at Forest Hills Cemetery, Dunmore. Friends may call Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, South Abington Twp., PA 18471.

To send online condolences, visit the funeral home's website.