Phoenixville's Inspirational Rebecca Melvin, 13, Passes Away

Obituary as posted on Campbell- Ennis - Klotzbach Funeral Home

Rebecca T. Melvin, of Phoenixville, PA, passed away on Friday, October 30, 2015 at the Nemours A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE. Born in Paoli, PA on October 25, 2002, she was the beloved 13- year- old daughter of John T. Jr. and Dianne M. (Kracz) Melvin.

More importantly, and what I’d rather you know about Rebecca, is that she lived. She lived quietly. She lived gracefully, and she lived bravely. She lived as much as her body would allow, and she did it while loving and inspiring others. And for this gift she gave to those around her, she asked for nothing in return.

Rebecca loved music. She loved to be read to. She loved swimming and going for walks. But what she loved best was simply being with her people-her mom and dad, her brothers, her large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and her nurses. She loved being in the middle of the activity, quietly observing and listening. She loved petting her dog Biscuit, who would sleep at her feet on the couch, and just as often try to steal her spot there.

Rebecca went to school at the Child and Career Development Center in Coatesville. Not surprisingly, she was loved by her wonderful teachers, therapists and staff. She was known to be a hard worker, and was very diligently learning to use her iPad to communicate her wants and needs. She had recently gotten a wonderful device called a Wilmington Robotic Exoskeleton, which helped her freely use her arms. She was very happy and excited about this, and was working on learning how to use it. She was quite an artist and often helped her nurses create beautiful works of art, both at school and at home.

Rebecca loved traveling with her family, and spent many vacations in Ocean City, New Jersey. She also loved her vacations to Niagara Falls and Dollywood, and got to experience most every activity, sight and sound those places had to offer. In February of 2013 she went to Disney with Make-a-Wish. She went on many rides at Magic Kingdom, her favorite being Ariel Under the Sea, where she looked wide-eyed at the vibrant colors and movement. She rode horses, had a spa day, met princesses and got a present from Santa at Give Kids The World Village. It was a very happy time for her.

Rebecca was skilled at many things. The thing she was best at, however, was making those around her happy and making them better people than they knew they could be. She effortlessly made the world a better place. Not by curing diseases, solving world hunger, or ending wars. She made the world a better place just by being in it. From her quiet place on the couch, the world was made better. Rebecca would want you to know that if she could do all of that without uttering a word, then we are all capable of accomplishing that and more, and we should. That was her legacy and her gift to us.

Rebecca was one-of-a-kind and perfect in every way that mattered, and words can never adequately express how much she’ll be missed by her family.

In addition to her parents, Rebecca is survived by two brothers, Jake and Christopher Melvin, both of Phoenixville; maternal grandparents Geraldine Kracz and Edward Kracz, both of Phoenixville; paternal grandparents, John T. and Dorothy Melvin of Phoenixville; Aunts, Debbie, wife of Brian Smith of Phoenixville, PA, Jackie Shumway of Reston, VA, and Cindy, wife of Roger Murphy of West Chester, PA; Uncles, Ed, husband of Linda Kracz of Perkasie, PA and Tom, husband of Kathy Melvin of Westfield, NJ; Cousins, Brittany, Haley, and Julia Smith, Matthew and Caitlyn Shumway, Joe, Casey, and Samantha Kracz, Camille and Roger Murphy, Thomas and Ceceilia Melvin, and her loving Bichon Biscuit. She is also survived by her nurses Helene Brown, Laurie Conbeer, Jackie Garay, Maria Hare, Maria Picard, and Diane Attenborough, as well as many others over the years who provided wonderful, loving care and are part of the family.

Her funeral and burial took place on Thursday, November 5.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children.

Condolences may be made by visiting Campbell - Ennis - Klotzbach.