Irene Edna Melick

Irene Edna Melick (nee Freed) (June 22,1934 - December 6, 2024) of Waterloo, Iowa, passed peacefully into the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ after a short illness. She had many wonderful memories of growing up on a farm near Jesup, Iowa. On August 23, 1957, she married her sweetheart Paul Robert Melick, with whom she shared sixty-seven wonderful years of marriage. Over the years, Irene was a dental hygienist, a homemaker, and a small business owner. She was an active member of Walnut Ridge Baptist Church in Waterloo, where she taught Sunday School and led the AWANA club for more than forty years. In her later years, she and Paul managed multiple apartment complexes and other properties. Irene will be remembered most for her genuine care for others, her generous spirit, her wisdom and loving encouragement, and her strong faith in God.

She is survived by her husband, Paul R. Melick of Waterloo, IA; her two daughters, Sharon (Todd) Van Devender of Nixa, MO, and Phyllis Plumlee of Bossier City, LA; her sister, Marian Hanson, and her niece, Tammi Hanson, both of Waterloo, IA; her nephew, Donald Hanson of Sanford, FL; her cousin, Earl Freed, Jr. of Waterloo, IA; her four grandsons, Michael (Sarah) Van Devender of Rogers, AR, Christopher Van Devender (fiancée, Areli Ortiz), of Kansas City, MO, Nathaniel (Karolina Fraczac) Van Devender, of Springfield, MO, and Ronnie Plumlee of Bossier City, LA; and twelve great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Mirla Freed of Waterloo, IA; her niece, Cheryl Hanson of Datil, NM; and her cousin Leonard Freed, of Jesup, Iowa.

The family would like to thank the Cedar Valley Hospice Home of Waterloo, IA, for providing Irene excellent care and helping to make her last days comfortable.

A viewing will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 10:00 am at Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, 1307 W. Ridgeway Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa, followed by the funeral service on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 11:00 am at Walnut Ridge Baptist Church., 1307 W. Ridgeway Avenue, Waterloo, Iowa.

Donations can be made in Irene’s name to Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo, Iowa (https://www.cvhospice.org/services/cedar-valley-hospice-home), or to the Iowa AWANA Missionary (https://missionary.awana.org/brenda-cole).