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Melissa Louise Long-Blevins was born on November 8th, 1960 in Tulsa, OK to parents Donald Lee Long and Zelma Lue (Worrell) Long. She passed from this life on Saturday September 3rd, 2022 in Tulsa, OK. Melissa embodied love. She was kindness personified. She took joy in nurturing and looking after people, even when she was very ill. At the end of her life, she insisted on having candy in her hospital room. She wanted to be sure that the healthcare folks who worked with her had a chance to take a moment and smile. Even when she was so sick, she wanted to bring joy to everyone around her. She made friends wherever she went. Once she was your friend, you had a friend for life. She had a group of close friends that had been with her since elementary, middle, and high school. She even made friends in the hospital. She loved to cook and loved feeding people, regardless of the size of the group. She was known for her meticulously planned and researched menus, regardless of whether the meal was in her home or at a large feast at a Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) Event. Her time with the SCA brought her a great deal of happiness, and she made lifelong friends during that time. She welcomed people who had nowhere to go for the holidays, and had a knack for making them feel like they were part of the family when they sat at her table. She was hilariously funny, endlessly kind, and possessed of an amazing grace. And she loved her daughter Katherine Blevins more than anything in this world. She was the sort of person that other people wanted to be when they grew up. Melissa was a licensed minister, and her lifelong ministry took her many places. She went on mission trips in Central America in her teenage years, and during her lifelong ministry she was able to provide comfort and pastoral care to many people. She was even able to perform a few a few marriage ceremonies. Although Melissa had many hobbies, many of them revolved around teaching, learning, and love. She loved working with children, and she believed that loving and inspiring them was crucial to working with them. She also believed in empowering them. She once helped a group of kids in the SCA put on a feast. She guided them with skill and patience, and they came away with pride and confidence. As a young adult, she was a reading teacher, and she valued literacy throughout her life. Her love of reading inspired her to be endlessly creative, even when she struggled with her health. She was a lifelong learner, and she loved studying foreign language, history, and cooking. Melissa loved to travel, and she always wished that she was able to do more of it. She is preceded in death by her parents Donald and Zelma Long, uncle Fred Watson, and cousins Mark Watson and Curt Watson. She is survived by her daughter Katherine Blevins,; aunt Josephine Watson; cousin Jo Watson; and countless other family members and friends whom she loved and who will forever cherish her memory. A memorial service will be held to honor Melissa's life on Saturday September 24, 2022 at 11:00AM at Serenity Funeral Home Chapel located at 4170 E. Admiral Pl., Tulsa, OK 74115. A reception will follow the memorial service.

Tributes

Melissa Louise Long-Blevins

November 8, 1960 - September 3, 2022