Published in the December 3, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — Melissa “Mel” DelRossi — chocolate lover, rescue and shelter dog and cat collector, goofball, photographer, master of the ‘Carlton Dance’ — passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.
She was born in Winchester, Massachusetts to William (Bill) Sullivan and the late Maureen (Moe) Keating on January 2, 1983. Melissa grew up in Wakefield, where she attended and graduated from Wakefield Memorial High School in 2001. After high school, Melissa attended The School of The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston where she studied art. She then moved to Maine where she attended and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Photography from the University of Maine. In 2012, she took her talent and love of photography to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, where she owned a home with her best friend, partner in crime, and loving husband, Thomas DelRossi, and their beautiful and sweet daughter, Zoerose DelRossi.
Melissa was a self-employed photographer. With a camera clutched in her hands, she took thousands upon thousands of photographs and helped create life long and beautiful memories for so many families, including her own. Melissa was adored in Nashville’s music scene, often shooting, and editing album covers, promotional work or just hanging out at local venues, capturing the spirit, energy and delight that music brings us all. She loved portraiture photography and often described it as capturing a person’s sole. She had a love of photographing children and using her silly and goofy personality to bring out their smiles. Her ability to freeze amazing moments in time was beautiful and inspiring. Melissa’s unique perspective of the world will forever live in the photographs she took.
Next to her passion for photography, Melissa was also a marathon runner and ran almost daily. She loved cooking, drawing, dancing, singing, and writing. Like her late mother, Melissa was graced with the gift of gab but also enjoyed peace and quiet and sitting on her front porch. Anyone that received a card or note from Melissa knows her words were a keepsake and saved in a special place as she always poured her heart out, made you feel special, let you know how much you meant to her and how much she loved you.
Melissa LOVED animals and had a soft spot for dogs and cats in need of a home. She created a loving home for many shelter and rescue dogs and cats over her years. At one point in her life, she had welcomed five shelter cats into her home. Her family, knowing that she was teetering on the verge of becoming a “cat lady”, intervened and cut her off from taking in any more fur babies. This was Melissa, full of compassion and empathy for all life.
Melissa’s unique and charismatic personality drew so many to her. Her laugh was infectious, distinct, and often very LOUD, so much it could be heard for miles down the road. She was warm, energetic, silly and was always with a big smile and a tight embracing hug.
Family meant more to Melissa than anything in this world. Her happiest time was being with her family, making memories, laughing, joking, being weird and silly, having heartfelt conversations about anything and everything. Her absence at family gatherings, especially that infectious laugh will be missed.
Although she was young, those feet went a lot of miles and left a big impression on so many that had the pleasure of knowing her. Melissa strived to be, first and foremost, a “world class” human being (her words exactly) and she surely accomplished this in her short 37 years in this world. Around her home was notebook upon notebook where she wrote herself positive quotes and words of encouragement to be the best human she could be. She was always looking to be a better. If we can learn anything from Melissa, it would be to aspire to be a better person than the day before, treat everyone with kindness, spread happiness, say “I love you” often, find ways to laugh every day, remember we are all human and deserve forgiveness, even if everyone else thinks otherwise. She will be missed by so many people beyond words, beyond anything in this world.
Melissa is survived by the love of her life, Thomas DelRossi, their beautiful and loving daughter, Zoerose DelRossi, her dad’s, Bill Sullivan and Richard DelRossi, her sisters, Jennifer Sullivan and her husband Drew Richards, Caitlin Sullivan, Angela McManus and her husband Anthony McManus, her brother, Will Sullivan, her sister-in-law, AnnMarie Sharpe and her husband Jonathan Sharpe, her brother-in-laws, Matthew DelRossi, Mike Shepard, Dickie DelRossi and Bobby DelRossi, her nieces and nephews, Christina, Mariah, Lily, Gracie, Vera, Dylan, Braden and Ben. She is predeceased by her loving mother, Maureen Keating, who are, no doubt, together, smiling and laughing, cracking inappropriate jokes, and stirring up some trouble. She is also predeceased by her mother-in-laws, Cheryl DelRossi and Patricia Sullivan. She will also be missed by her many, many cousins, aunts, and uncles.
Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at the McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Ave., Wakefield on Friday from 3-7 p.m.
In Lieu of flowers, Melissa would want you to adopt an animal in need of a home, preferably many of them, until you too are “cut off”. If that is not possible, please consider donating to Dogs Deserve Better – Nashville at: 505 Glen Echo Drive, Old Hickory, Tennessee 37138, or at their website at https://www.ddbnashville.org/donate.php.
