Melissa Vick

Melissa Vick, 46, passed away on Sunday, July 1, 2018 in Las Cruces NM. She is survived by her husband of twenty years Sean, her son Zachery, her parents Bill and Vickie Ritthaler and her mother -in -law Jeannine Evans. Melissa was born on April 9, 1972 in Casper, Wyoming and graduated from high school in Casper. Volleyball and weight lifting were her athletic interest. After graduation she headed to Albuquerque NM and moved to Las Cruces 15 years ago. Sean and Melissa started From The Ground Up Design, a custom home design and construction business. She was an associate broker at Steinborn and Associates and for several years worked with her mother-in-law in the direct mail industry. She joined NMSU six years ago as the Mail Services Supervisor and was working on her bachelor's degree when diagnosed. Melissa loved her family including her beloved dog Sierra and the current baby, her lab Kali. Her son Zachery, a sergeant in the Army, is the light of her life and she is very proud of him and all his accomplishments. A strong group of friends provided love and support which she cherished. She was adventurous, loved to travel and was an avid outdoors woman. In her youth she was one of the few women in black power shooting competitions and a crack shot. Later in life she became an accomplished bow hunter. She also loved fishing as well as having a passion for reading, crossword puzzles, arts and crafts and gardening. With her close band of friends she and her husband had many adventures on their Harley. Melissa always had a smile on her face and would always make you laugh. When she hugged you see wrapped you into her soul. She was honest, straight forward and the sweetest person you could ever know. Melissa lost a valiant 4+ year battle with cancer and she and her team of doctors in Phoenix never stopped fighting. Melissa traveled to Phoenix for treatment every three weeks throughout here entire illness and returned to work the next day. She never stopped working. She is a true inspiration and would want us to thank Dr. Giraldo Kato of Pinnacle Oncology and Dr. Robert R. Kuske of Arizona Center for Cancer Care and their assistants who worked diligently to fright her aggressive breast cancer. Her family in Phoenix, her Aunt Sue and cousins Jodi, Susanna, Janet and Audrey provided help and support throughout her long battle. A private Celebration of Life will be held and the family is requesting in lieu of flowers donations be made to the www.facebook.com/galsontherunaz (this is a specialized retreat for women going through cancer treatment) in Melissa's name.