"I'm too young to be writing my mother's obituary. But here I am, Mom – I miss you.

Melissa Wells Loupe made her appearance earth side on January 3rd, 1966. She left us way too soon after a courageous fight against cancer, on Monday night, May 20th, 2024. She took her last breath with each of her hands being held by her two children surrounded with nothing but love. The sky outside was dark, nearly a full moon and a quiet breeze. It's odd how the world spins on when yours comes to a screeching halt. None of us were ready to let this woman go. Her day ended, following 58 years of love, adventure, mischief, quick-witted comebacks, 1,000,000 Diet Cokes, heartbreak, stomach aching laughter, the color purple EVERYTHING, motherhood, and her favorite of all Grand-motherhood (but she refused that title – so they called her Boo instead).

Melissa was born and raised in Houston with weekends spent on the lake in Onalaska. She was the youngest of two and refused to call her brother by name, so 'Brother' it was. He fondly remembers pushing her off of her tricycle at 5 years old and knocking out her front teeth. Oh, that sibling love. I bet her smile was a sight after that. They'd bring home armadillos, rabbits, and a cat that possibly lived until she was 30 and had a thing for climbing power lines named Precious Marie Abdul-Jabbar. One year the four of them took a popup camper to Idaho then down the coast of California. In Idaho she met her mother's sister and greeted her with "Well, you're not as fat as I thought you'd be." She loved to travel and would eventually travel to Europe when she was a Junior in High school, telling her mom how she fell in love three or four times there. Her Highschool years were filled with Basketball and AG. She was named the AG Sweetheart one year and was pretty impressive at basketball despite being a lot shorter than the other girls. Her first car was a VW Bug that was given to the family. 'Brother' cut the top off and they hand painted it black and gold.

After her four years at South Houston High School, she spent a little time at Sam Houston State and decided to come back home. Soon after that she'd fall in love and marry at First Methodist Church in Onalaska. A few years after, she'd go in to have knee surgery. Only for the doctor to walk in and tell her that she's pregnant. (Sorry for the bad knee mom.) Four years later her belly grew so big she thought it was twins, only to find out is was just one really big baby boy. I can vividly remember being in their bedroom, the stereo blasting Hootie and the Blowfish, standing next to a waterbed and looking out the window watching my mom on the riding lawn mower. She loved being outside and yard work. We were always outside, helping in the garden, swimming in the pool (or the ditch after a good rain), playing softball, or spending the night on the trampoline. She gave us a wonderful childhood. We also spent a lot of time at the Deer Lease, in another pop-up camper. It wasn't in good shape, they remodeled it and painted it camouflage. While at the Deer Lease, she somehow fell off a four-wheeler, look back and she was covered in mud – except for one arm and her Miller Lite. The marriage eventually dissolved. A quote from her speech at her father's service "My dad had to give me away and 15 years later he had to take me back". Her father's death hit her incredibly hard.

After that, she took on a new side of motherhood, as a single mother. She did a damn good job at it even though we gave her hell. Once we grew up and started our own families, she found herself back in Onalaska living behind her mother's house. Those two could press each other's buttons, but there was so much love. In 2020, as the pandemic began, a tornado struck the house causing unbelievable damage. She took care of everything, making proper arrangements for her mother's home repairs. Eventually, everything was back to normal, as normal as it could be. Even though every storm after that brought up some understandable trauma. She lived there for 8 years.

At the end of last year, she was diagnosed with cancer. It was never "Why me?". It was never negativity or complaints. She was so incredibly strong. She finished her treatments in April and we all remained very hopeful. On May 6th, she was hospitalized and we were told that the cancer metastasized to her brain. Everything after that moved quickly and was a blur. Now my amazing mother's laughing, bright green high-beams are closed. Forever? It's devastating and makes no sense. So, on her behalf, connect with someone near or far. Always be kind. Be gentle with yourself. Never apologize for who you are. Stop trying so hard. And, for the love of god, don't say "I'm so busy" because everyone is busy in their own way.

Melissa is survived by her mother, Margaret Harvey Wells, children Mackenzie Loupe and Hunter Loupe (Kirstyn), brother, David (Paula), and two granddaughters, Charlie and Harlyn. She was predeceased by her father, James Wells.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2024 at 2pm at Cochran Funeral Home, 212 Old Groveton Rd South Onalaska, Texas 77360."