Melissa Percy Spalding

Melissa Percy Spalding, a bright light in this world, celebrated everyday life with glitter in her heart. Surrounded by loving family and friends, Melissa passed away peacefully in her home on June 9, just days before her 66th birthday, after a long battle with early onset Alzheimer’s disease and Primary Progressive Aphasia. Melissa’s spirit is defined by resilience, fierce love, and her joie de vive.

Melissa was born June 13, 1956 in New Orleans, Louisiana to parents Jaye Dobbs and Billups Percy. She attended Sacred Heart Academy in New Orleans and later LaGrange College in Georgia, where she majored in art and photography and strengthened her natural gifts of creativity and design.

After moving to Atlanta, she met and married her loving husband Bolling “Bo” Spalding in 1985. Melissa and Bo made their home in the Winnona Park neighborhood of Decatur, where they raised their children Phinizy, Camille, and her stepson Daniel. During her 30 years in Decatur, Melissa was a constant positive influence — she never met a stranger. She was immeasurably kind and loved bringing friends and family together in service of her local community. As a committee member and active volunteer of a local non-profit, Our House, she taught her children at an early age the importance of empathy and giving back.

Melissa and Bo spent summers at their family’s cottage at Ahmic Lake in Canada. They encouraged their children to value the important things in life – nature, friends, and family. In her children’s words, growing up with Melissa as a mother was “nothing short of a fairy tale” – she always had a way of seeing the beauty of life. Her children will never forget her appreciation and excitement for thunderstorms. When thunderstorms shook the lake, Melissa was the first to turn fear into a party, keeping her children awake to sit on the porch to watch the waves crash, the trees sway, and lightning flash to illuminate the lake. She never said no to an adventure and lived for the thrill – anyone lucky enough to have met her will never forget her energetic spirit and zest for life.

A dreamer, a creator, and a builder, Melissa had an innate gift to turn any space into a home full of warmth and comfort. With her native New Orleanian festive spirit, Melissa turned even the most ordinary days into a celebration for her friends and family – she always brought joy, fun, and magic to those around her.

She is survived by her husband Bo; son Phinizy (wife Joanna), daughter Camille Sailar (husband Josh), stepson Daniel (wife Gillian); grandchildren Robert and Camille; siblings William, Camille, and Phinizy; her living angels Denia, Dee, Lucy, Eileen, and Jacqueline; and many loyal friends and family who continue to love her deeply. May our sweet Lissa rest in peace and happiness.

The ceremony will be held at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs, GA on June 18 at 10am.