Melanie Ann Bennet

Once in a while, in the middle of an ordinary life, a fairy tale happens. Melanie and her husband Rick met August 26, 2009. She was bright-eyed, open, joyful, intelligent, warm, enthusiastic and positive. Her easy laugh was infectious, and her vivaciousness was addictive. From the moment they met, she had Rick’s heart, and he had hers. They married on March 19, 2010.

The arcs of Melanie’s and Rick’s lives intersected after decades of searching and believing that they would find each other: “There is a faith in loving fiercely the one who is rightfully yours, especially if you have waited years and especially if part of you never believed you could deserve this loved and beckoning hand held out to you in this way . . . because finally after all the struggle and all the years, you don’t want to any more, you’ve simply had enough of drowning and you want to live and you want to love and you will walk across any territory and any darkness, however fluid and however dangerous, to take the one hand you know belongs in yours.” (The Truelove, David Whyte)

Melanie was a doting mother to both Thomas and Lollo. She and her sister Cindy were best friends and deeply committed to each other. Melanie believed every person carries a spark of divinity, and she attracted friends of every color, belief and sexual preference. She had a refined eye and ear for beauty, and a love of pop culture. One moment she would revel in Sondheim, the next rock out to Beyonce. She was just as likely to be found watching a Lincoln or French Revolution documentary as Cupcake Wars or Real Housewives.

Melanie was a leading recruiter of executives for law firms. She began her recruiting career with The Wilmington Group in 2004. In 2008 she became a Global Practice Leader for Major Lindsay & Africa. In 2013, she started her own firm, Bennet Consulting, LLC. Prior to her recruiting career, she was a successful entrepreneur, retail salesperson and director for The March of Dimes. In 1998 she earned her degree from the Smith School of Business of the University of Maryland.

Melanie’s brain power was awesome to behold. She an innate talent for efficiency and improving processes. Her mind was hyperactive, always thirsty for learning and stimulation. Melanie also had a magical intuition, an uncanny ability to know a person intimately based on a mere glimpse. Then, there was her ability to develop rapport with anyone she met. Her secret was her voice, a soft alto infused with passion and excitement, always on the verge of the most endearing laugh one could hear.

Ironically, it was a brain disease that ended her life. During the 12 months before her death, glioblastoma gradually robbed her of short term memory and motor control, and made her dependent on her caregivers for basic tasks. Her pain was severe and almost constant. Amazingly, she remained cheerful throughout, always hopeful for a turnaround, and finding the lighter side in each new limitation. Every day, until the very end, she laughed and made her family laugh with her characteristic self-deprecating sense of humor.

She is survived by her husband Rick Ehrhart, stepson Thomas Ehrhart, “adopted” son Lorenzo Locatelli, her parents David Bennet, of Marlinton, WV, and Betty Bennet of Simpsonville, SC, her sister Cindy Bennet Meaney, of Simpsonville, SC, her brothers Steve Bennet of Clarksburg, MD, Rick Bennet of Carlsbad, CA, and Chris Bennet of Seattle, WA, and her first husband, Ed Modlin, of Churchton, MD.

Good night, sweet Melanie. We will join you soon. Until then, may your grace, beauty and courage inspire the better angels of our nature.

There will be a celebration of Melanie’s life Saturday, September 17, 2016 at 6 pm. For more information, contact Rick Ehrhart or Melanie’s spiritual gangster, Jennifer Royall. In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to a worthy cause. Melanie advocated for greater allocation of resources to childhood education, and Donors Choose was one of her favorites.