Melissa Rabb "Meli" Rucker

1940 - 2025

Melissa "Meli" Rabb Rucker

Aug 4, 1940 - Oct 11, 2025

Melissa ("Meli") Rabb Rucker died peacefully at home, surrounded by her family, on October 11, 2025. She lived each of her 85 years with dignity and grace.

She is preceded in death by Richmond Williston Rucker, her husband of sixty years. She is survived by her daughter, Anna Rucker Teague (Dave) of Winston-Salem, her sons, Charles Richmond Alexander Rucker (Sara) of Winston-Salem and Jonathan Nettles Rabb Rucker (Karen) of Boulder, CO.

She is also survived by her grandchildren, Sarah Clark Starnes (Kenny) of Winston-Salem, Melissa Clark Taylor (Michael) of Charlotte, John Devlin Clark III (Calvin) of Washington, DC, Andrew Neal Teague of Winston-Salem, Brooke Regan Rucker and Miles Richmond Rucker of Boulder, CO, and Charles Richmond Alexander Rucker II of Winston-Salem. Finally, she is survived by her beloved great-granddaughters, Nell Catherine Starnes, Mae Clark Starnes, and Marion Margaret Starnes of Winston-Salem, and Anna Chandler Taylor of Charlotte, NC.

Born in Charlotte in 1940, her family soon moved to Asheboro, NC, where she was a precocious student and played cornet in the Asheboro High School marching band. After accelerating through high school in three years, she entered Converse College having just turned 17. In 1959, Meli was assistant leader at the Terpsichorean Debutante Ball in Raleigh. On a blind date that same year, she met Richmond (Rich), who was a student at Davidson College. The rest, they say, is history.

In December 1960, she and Rich married in Asheboro. She fondly recalled exiting the wedding ceremony to Widor's majestic "Toccata", a fitting musical launch into their grand six-decade marriage. After their honeymoon at The Homestead in Virginia, she returned to Converse for graduation and soon set sail across the Atlantic to join her betrothed.

Her first years as a newlywed were spent near Heidelberg, Germany, where Rich was an officer and Ranger in the Army Infantry. Through time, they moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, then to Winter Park, Florida, and finally back to Rich's hometown of Winston-Salem in 1971. Meli was an excellent cook and at least one of her favorite recipes was published for others to enjoy. Her young family became avid tennis players and skiers who ultimately made frequent trips around the country for tennis tournaments and ski vacations.

Meli became so entrenched in skiing and tennis that she not only joined the volunteer ski patrol at Sugar Mountain, where she treated injured skiers with expertise and warmth, she also began working at the then-new Ski and Tennis Station in Winston-Salem. She was quickly woven into the fabric of what would become an iconic store which profoundly impacted the many tennis players and skiers in the surrounding area. Folks knew to ask for Meli when they needed to update their tennis or skiing outfits. Over time, Meli became the apparel buyer for "Ski and Tennis" and her keen eye influenced the sports fashion sense and trends in Winston-Salem for nearly thirty years. If you bought it there, one could say that she'd already chosen it for you.

Positivity and kindness were her hallmark. Friends sought her counsel and always left feeling better about themselves. More than once, she told her children to "be sweet". In many ways, that was exactly how she led her life – with a constant focus on compassion, seeing everything through a glowing lens. The Golden Rule has rarely had a more ardent follower than Meli.

Always the optimist, in her final days she was heard saying "I think I'm getting better!"

A memorial service will be held at Centenary United Methodist Church on Friday, October 17, 2025, at 3 p.m. A reception will follow at Forsyth Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and/or Centenary United Methodist Church.

Salem Funeral & Cremation Service

120 S. Main St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101