Melody Queen Klingler

2 January 1980 - 19 February 2025

There are those in the world who may shine brightly, and there may be only a very few who shine so brightly that they will literally bring color to the world. Melody Queen Klingler was one of those few, a woman with such profound brilliance that her simple presence and acquaintance would spark change in your life forever. She was a woman of vast knowledge and interests, and a vast capacity for love and care. She contained multitudes.

Melody entered this world on 2 January 1980 with a bang, a red-haired firecracker born to John Michael Klingler and Susan Roxanne (Chaney) Buck in Lubbock, TX.

After John remarried to Angela (Robbins) Klingler in 1983, the family moved first to New Hampshire where she was promoted to big sister when Ashley Lauraine (Klingler) Sears and Sarah Elise (Klingler) Braese were born, thus making their blended family whole.

After Susan remarried to Tony Pierce, Melody became a big sister again, to Katy (Pierce) Kachikis.

Over the next decade the family periodically relocated around the country to Kent, WA, then Rancho Santa Margarita, CA, and then to San Antonio, TX, where Melody graduated as Salutatorian Summa Cum Laude from Taft High School. An inducted member of the National Honor Society, Melody was deeply involved in a broad diversity of extracurricular interests, not only in sciences such as robotics and advanced academics, but also in the arts where she was a gifted cellist and actress in a number of musical productions.

After high school, Melody was accepted into the University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering with a full merit scholarship and acceptance into the Engineering Honors Program (EHP). Melody earned her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with High Honors, and continued to mentor students in the Cockrell School’s EHP program. Melody advanced in her academic pursuits with the backing of a full National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarship and in 2004 earned her Masters in Electrical Engineering Summa Cum Laude.

Melody faithfully and proudly worked at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), starting in 2004 in the CPU cores organization. During her 21 years at AMD, she had a pivotal role in helping to create several of the highest performance CPUs in the world. Over the years, she worked on the physical design team, the power team, the architecture team, and finally in the microcode team. She was always willing to help lead or mentor project teams in addition to her many technical contributions, earning the title of Principal Member of Technical Staff (PMTS).

In 2004, Melody reconnected with Benjamin, older brother of her freshman-year college roommate, Lindsey. Sparks immediately rekindled and they became inseparable for the next twenty years. Benjamin and Melody were married on 7 April 2017, in a ceremony as unique as their unwavering dedication to each other.

Melody was a helper, a fixer, a tinkerer, and doer. She generously shared her time and resources, and knew how to enjoy the spice of life though adventures off of the beaten path. She loved to travel, was a voracious reader of all genres, an enthusiast of live music - taking a great deal of pride in having attended Austin City Limits Music Festival every year since moving to Austin. She prioritized spending time with her family, friends, and pets, including hosting SciFi Fridays, and an annual New Year’s Eve Birthday party for many years. She never took the role of hostess lightly and held great pride and joy in welcoming her friends and loved ones into her home as much as she did into her heart.

Melody was a lover of all animals, but was unquestionably a dog person, especially German Shepherds; she rescued several and advocated for countless others.

Her passion for justice, equity, and fairness led her to support a number of meaningful causes. For over 12 years, Melody volunteered her time to the Inside Books Project (IBP), the only books-to-prisoners program in Texas, which works to promote reading, literacy, and education among incarcerated individuals. What started as a role organizing and collecting book donations led to Melody serving on IBP’s Board of Directors, supporting governance and leadership of the organization in addition to critical day-to-day administrative support.

Melody is survived by her beloved husband Benjamin Albert Bagnaschi, step-daughter Amelia Anne Bagnaschi, and her furry children Yuri, Boris, and Vincent. She is also survived by her parents John and Angela Klingler, and Susan and Wolfgang Buck as well as her in-laws Steven Albert and Lori Dianne Bagnaschi.

Melody was an incredible sister and aunt, and her memory will be cherished by sisters Ashley Sears (husband Jonathan, children Clara, Henry, and Audrey), Sarah (Klingler) Braese (children Eleanor and Isabelle), Katy (Pierce) Kachikis (husband Greg, children Pierce and Dillon) and Lindsey Bagnaschi (child Helena).

Melody was brilliant, beautiful, and wickedly funny and she will be painfully missed by all who knew and loved her. To celebrate Melody‘s time with us and honor her legacy, in lieu of flowers please consider volunteering or making a donation to the Inside Books Project (https://insidebooksproject.org/donate) or German Shepherd Rescue of Central Texas (https://www.gsdrescuectx.com/donate.html).

Those wishing to pay their respects are invited to attend either or both of the following services at the Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home (2620 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704).

Wake and Viewing Service: Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Memorial and Commemoration: Sunday, March 2, 2025 from 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm