Melanie Kay Thrall

Melanie Kay Thrall, 71, formerly of Columbus and Monticello, Indiana, died Saturday, March 18, 2023, in her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Born January 21, 1952, in Danville, Indiana, she grew up in Monticello, graduating from Twin Lakes High School in 1970. She attended Purdue University and Indiana Business College. Her typing skills were exceptional, once winning a state contest by typing 160 words per minute on a typewriter. In the 1980s, she owned Melanie's Typing Service in West Lafayette, specializing in resumes and research papers for Purdue students. She later worked as a paralegal in Columbus, Indianapolis, and Santa Fe, retiring in 2019.

Melanie was also an accomplished pianist and organist. She served as the accompanist for her high school choir, organist for First Presbyterian Church in Monticello, and organist for East Columbus Christian Church in Columbus for several years. She took great pride in being asked to play piano at many weddings. She attended services at Santa Fe Baptist Church near her home after initially calling to see if she could be allowed to play the piano. She loved Santa Fe and immersed herself in learning the history of local culture. An animated storyteller, she could engage in lively conversation with anyone about anything. Melanie's greatest joys were her children and granddaughter.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Thelma Shroyer. Melanie is survived by her children, Evan (Brianne) Wineland of Brownsburg, Indiana; Keats (Joseph) Nyvall of Greenville, South Carolina; a granddaughter, Penelope Hazel Nyvall; a sister Kathleen Shroyer of Greensburg, Indiana; a brother Douglas (Sheri) Shroyer of Corydon, Indiana; three nieces, one great-nephew and two great-nieces.

A private celebration of life will be held by the family at a later date.