Melinda L. Wilkins

Melinda Lee Wilkins, 67 years old, of Danbury, Connecticut, passed away peacefully and unexpectedly from heart failure at home on Wednesday, November 17, 2021. She was the beloved wife and companion of Marc R. Howard for more than 17 years. She was also the devoted mother to Grace T. Hunkins of Stamford, Connecticut.

Born in Champaign, Illinois, she was the only daughter of the late Donald H. Wilkins and the late Sharon Grace Sells Wilkins Rice. After the family moved to Galway, New York in 1955, Melinda attended the local schools, graduating from Galway Central High School in 1972.

A sports enthusiast in her youth, Melinda was competitive on the basketball court as a member of the high school’s Golden Eagles team all four years. A natural thespian, Melinda took on lead roles in the high school’s annual musical productions, and she continued to perform in college musicals. Her musical talent extended to being a songwriter and playing both the guitar and the clarinet.

While earning a BA degree in History from Eisenhower College, Melinda continued her passion for sports, where she was a three-sport stand out. After completing her undergraduate studies, she went on to law school, receiving her JD from Western New England School of Law with honors. She was also the editor of the college’s law review.

She has a brilliant legal career that spanned public and private service. To start her career, Melinda clerked for the honorable William J Nealon, Jr. in Scranton, Pennsylvania for a few years. She then joined IBM, working in the legal department and rose through the ranks to Vice President over her 25-year career with the company. Her area of focus was contracts and negotiations, which she worked on globally. Melinda also donated her legal advice, always ready to defend deserving legal matters pro bono.

Following her retirement from IBM, Melinda and Marc launched and operated No Place Like OM, a yoga studio and boutique in Danbury. After several years, they closed the studio yet continued staying connected and involved in the local yoga and wellness community.

What Melinda loved to do most in her free time was reading, traveling, and camping around the country with her husband and family. She also was a great storyteller to an audience of friends and family, who would often comment on her wicked sense of humor.

In addition to Marc and Grace, Melinda is survived by her brother, Michael S. Wilkins; her brother, Keith D. Wilkins and her sister-in-law, Christine Wilkins; nephew Sean Wilkins, her stepmother, Monika Wilkins and her aunt Sandra Siakel.

A Memorial Gathering to pay respects to Melinda and the family will take place at on Sunday, November 21, 2021 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at the Green Funeral Home, 57 Main Street, Danbury, CT 06810.

The family requests that instead of flowers, contributions in Melinda’s memory may be made to Ann’s Place (annsplace.org) 80 Saw Mill Rd, Danbury, CT 06810, an organization that provides resources to people with cancer and their loved ones.