Melanie Hyatt Rodenbough

Melanie was born in Asheville, North Carolina on November 30, 1955. She lost her mother at the age of eight and grew up at the Presbyterian Home for Children in Black Mountain. There, she cultivated her legendary maternal instincts and developed a keen and fearsome eye for unjust suffering. Those who knew Mel saw those traits reflected in her unconditional love for those who needed it and unrelenting ferocity for the causes that demanded it.

She was the first girl from the Children’s Home to attend college. At King College, a small Presbyterian-affiliated college in Bristol, Tennessee, she toured with the school chorus and majored in political science and history. After that, with funds scrounged together by the Children’s Home and a work-study grant from UNC, she was off to law school at Chapel Hill. One day while studying in an empty classroom, she met her future husband. He was enchanted by the brunette with the beautiful smile and sharp wit who snacked on apples while briefing cases. They quickly hatched a plan to make a life and home full of love, laughter, and children. They were married on August 16, 1980 on the grounds of the Children’s Home and left for their honeymoon with their black Lab—the first of several throughout their life together—wagging his tail in the backseat of their car.

After law school, Melanie worked for almost six years as a public defender. She earned some notoriety when she took on the then Chief District Court Judge, facing jail time for contempt of court, because she refused to plead her client guilty to save the state time and expense. She was a tireless community servant who lent her leadership and voice to a wide range of local PTAs, Girl Scout Troops, and other organizations. She lobbied Congress with Bread for the World; visited undocumented immigrant detainees at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, GA; and marched the streets of Greensboro too many times to count. She thoroughly enjoyed participating in the air horn orchestra at the Governor’s Mansion in opposition to House Bill 2. From 2018 until her death, she wrote a monthly social justice column in the Greensboro News & Record.

Later in her life, she found kindred spirits and a cause that sustained her to her dying day in the immigrant advocacy of FaithAction International House. She assisted clients in getting to appointments and hearings, collected presents for clients’ children at the holidays, and enlisted many from her own church community to join the work. The mission of FaithAction meshed perfectly with her view that everyone should have a seat at the table.

For forty years, Melanie cherished her membership at Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, where she formed some of the closest and most enduring friendships of her life. She served as a youth group leader and elder and was a longtime member of the choir. She founded the church’s Justice and Peacemaking Committee, and led outreach efforts to Greensboro’s Islamic community as part of that work. She manifested her deep Christian faith by modeling her life after Jesus: fighting on behalf of all those denied access to the fullness of God’s Creation.

Melanie made the Rodenbough house a place where everyone was welcome. She loved singing hymns and Motown hits, cooking towers of pancakes for her large and hungry family, taking her granddaughters out for ice cream at Yum Yum, and watching bluebirds from her front porch glider. She cherished the blooming rhododendron on Roan Mountain and the sunrise at Holden Beach. When her friends and family came to her in times of need, she was always there with an open ear, a shoulder to cry on, and the world’s best back rubs.

She is survived by many loving friends and family, including two brothers, Stan (Judy) and Julian (Nancy); four children, Andy (Frances), Anna, Libby, and MK; two grandchildren, Grace and Leigh; and her devoted husband of 40 years, Bo. Her children and grandchildren were fortunate enough to grow up in the warmth of her love, and her husband has never let a day pass without reminding them what a gift it was to share their lives with her.

A celebration of Melanie’s life will be held at 11 am on Thursday, July 8th, at First Baptist Church in Greensboro*. The service will be made available via livestream for those unable to attend in person. Visitations will take place 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM on Wednesday, July 7, at Hanes Lineberry Funeral Home, 515 N. Elm Street, Greensboro.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to FaithAction International House, Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, or the Rodenbough Family Scholarship Fund for underrepresented minorities at the UNC School of Law.

Online condolences may be offered at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com.

*In order to ensure the safety of our community, face masks are required at the celebration of life. Masks are encouraged at the visitations, especially for those who have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Anyone with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 is asked to refrain from attending services in person.