Melissa Crane Worden, 52, known as “Missy” of Atlanta, GA, passed away on August 11, 2020, after a seven-month fight with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. A life force as a wife, mother, daughter, teacher and aunt, she was born to Jim and Juna Crane on December 27, 1967, in Louisville, KY.
Missy’s priority was always her family. She was a devoted and loving mother who adored her sons Penn and Shep, who share her love of music. She was a dedicated wife of 25 years to the love of her life, David. She was a committed and caring daughter to her parents Jim and Juna and little sister to Melanie.
Missy graduated from Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1986, then earned a B.A. in Music and a minor in French from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1990, where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority and the Millsaps Singers. She graduated from Florida State University with a Master’s in Music Therapy and was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda National Honors Society.
Missy met her husband, David Worden in 1993, when he was working as a teacher in New Orleans, Louisiana. David, smitten, boldly asked friends for her number. They were married two years later in Baton Rouge in a ceremony surrounded by friends and family.
Like notes in a song, music has been a through line in the lives of Missy and her family. Missy was a beloved teacher and innovator in music therapy for children with special needs. She was a leader and founding member of the Music Therapy Association of Georgia, a member of the American Music Therapy Association and worked as a board-certified therapist with Fulton County Schools for 23 years. Generations of Georgians, including the students of the seven-school circuit of classes she created, have benefited from her love of music and teaching.
Missy noticed that students with learning and physical disabilities did not have the same opportunities to be on stage as typical students. She created and was Maestro of the “Mistletoe and Merriment” holiday musical performed by students with special needs. The show celebrated its 20th anniversary in December last year. She used music to show students and families what all students can achieve and instilled in them a lifelong confidence. In her career as a therapist, Missy was also a “teacher of teachers.” Her many student teachers, interns and mentees will follow in her footsteps and be part of her legacy. “Music was the fabric of Missy’s life. She used music to connect to her sons, to her cherished students and she thrived on attending live concerts and festivals with friends,” said Ann Haight, a pediatric oncologist and lifelong friend.
Beyond her work, Missy was a member of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church and a vibrant voice in the Jubilate Singers, where she served as a piano accompanist and led the music for vacation bible school. Missy was a local leader in the world peace group CISV (Children’s International Summer Villages), and hosted children from Finland, Austria and France. She was a fixture at the Susan Komen 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, an annual fundraising endurance walk through 60 miles of Atlanta over 3 days, which she walked in memory of her sister Melanie. An avid tennis player and athlete, Missy was a fierce competitor in ALTA (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association) and played on many neighborhood ALTA tennis teams.
“Missy gave everything she had: her love, her talents, her heart, and her time. She danced through life having a ball with her many friends, and celebrated life every day,” said Charlotte McDonnell, her Millsaps college roommate.
Missy Worden is predeceased by her mother Mary June Crane, her sister, Melanie Crane Davis, and her mother-in-law Betsy Worden. She is survived by her husband David, her sons Penn and Shepard, her father Jim Crane, her brother-in-law Doug Davis, father-in-law Stuart Worden (Lane Hays), sister-in-law Minky Worden (Gordon Crovitz), brother-in-law John Worden (Meridith Worden), and nephews Jack, James, Tom and Samuel, niece Amelia, Aunt Linda Worden, the “Atlanta Wordens” Frances Worden Wood, Bill Worden, Ann Worden Ellington, and Sara Worden, Uncle Butch Golden (Pat Golden), cousins Brett Golden, Courtney Golden, and a host of extended family, students, and lifelong friends.
“Our boys have been so blessed to have a Mom who loved them unconditionally. Her every action in their lives was always 100% about supporting and lifting them up. This loving foundation will always be with them,” said David Worden. “The main thing Missy wanted was for us to love ourselves and each other more. Please do something good for someone today and think of Missy.”
There will be a small family service by invitation only on Monday, August 24. The family will have a celebration of Missy’s joyful life and spirit at St. Catherine's Episcopal when it is safe to do so. The family wishes to thank all who helped care for Missy this year: Doctors and nurses at Emory, her core group of girls, and her “Ya-Yas.”
In honor of Missy’s enduring devotion to kids and music therapy, memorial donations may be made to the American Music Therapy Association (Address: 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910).
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