Melody was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on September 3, 1953, to Tom and Judy Gardner. She was a talkative child who loved to laugh and sing, and she adored her brother, Ron, who was ten years her senior. Melody loved to do hair and graduated from Midwest City High School with a certificate in cosmetology in 1971. She married her high school sweetheart, Richard Steve Carson the same year, and worked as a hairstylist in Midwest City. She suffered the loss of their first daughter, Rachel, due to stillbirth in 1972. In 1977, their second daughter, Michelle Renee, was born. In 1979, Melody followed her brother and his family and her parents to Arizona, where she sang in the North Phoenix Baptist Church choir and worked as both a hairstylist and a Certified Nursing Assistant. In 1982, she met the love of her life, Charles William Thornton. They married in 1983 and moved to Peoria, Arizona where they enjoyed day trips to ghost towns, swimming in their backyard pool, and selling Charlie’s woodworking at local craft fairs. She loved to cook and eat. Her specialties included mashed potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, and turnips. Her secret ingredients were always sugar and butter. Her daughter Michelle was Melody’s pride and joy, and she and Charlie raised her together until Charlie’s untimely passing from lung cancer in 1990.
After Charlie’s death, Melody focused on ensuring Michelle finished high school and was able to go to college – an opportunity she was never afforded. She loved her work as a “lunch lady” at Glendale High School, a sales associate at Bea’s Lighting in Glendale, and later as a cashier at Walgreens. Melody walked Michelle down the aisle in 2003 and relished being the grandmother to Tyler Joseph and Elizabeth Anne. She retired in 2014 and enjoyed her home in Glendale, her poodle, Buffy, watching Andy Griffith reruns and every singing contest on television.
Melody was loved by many friends – she would strike up a conversation with literally anyone (she knew the name of a recent plumber’s wife, children, and all about his hometown after a recent faucet repair). She maintained lifelong friendships with former neighbors, customers, supervisors, and co-workers. She was thoughtful – always ready to cook a delicious casserole or send a card for a friend in need. She was known for her kindness, generosity, and humor.
Melody struggled with mental illness, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1983, and tried to manage episodes of mania, depression, and treatment throughout her life. Like so many, she was ashamed of her illness and it wasn’t until her later years that she began to embrace her diagnosis as a strength and her story as empowering rather than shameful. Hers was a life that had been interrupted, not ended, and she found grace and gratitude for the hardships she overcame.
Melody is survived by her daughter, Michelle, son-in-law, Brian, as well as her grandchildren, Tyler and Elizabeth; sister-in-law, Kathy; niece, Heather (John, and their son, Jack). Melody was preceded in death by her husband Charlie, brother Ron, her parents, Tom and Judy, and her nephew Bryan.
Melody will be remembered at a Celebration of Life service on June 9, 2022, at 1:00 pm, at West Resthaven Funeral Home, 6450 W. Northern Ave. in Glendale.
In lieu of flowers please consider a contribution to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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