Melanie Gideon, beloved mother, wife, and author, died peacefully at home on Easter Sunday. She was 62. For more than two years she lived with cancer, greeting each day with dignity and grace. She moved through every stage of illness without complaint and with a steady, quiet courage that inspired those around her.

Born in Rhode Island to Sarah and Vasant Gideon, Melanie spent the first 12 years of her life wandering the woods and meadows of South County with her three sisters—book and journal always in hand. Like most writers, Melanie was first a reader. Her passion for reading came from her parents. Melanie loved her family with all her heart. She became the wonderful woman she was through the love of her mother, father, and sisters.

Melanie was a New York Times Bestselling author. Her books have been translated into 36 languages and optioned for film. Melanie knew she wanted to be a writer by the time she was in fifth grade. She dreamed of being transported to other worlds. She searched for portals—the wardrobe to Narnia or the tesseract from A Wrinkle in Time—for many years. Eventually she thought: “why not write the portal myself?” Every day, she returned to her desk, always asking what could be refined, deepened, or made more true. She possessed a unique voice and an ability to portray life in all its textures and contradictions. She told stories of love, time travel, and finding happiness in the mundane. Melanie wrote with clarity, tenderness, and wit. She helped readers recognize themselves and feel less alone.

Melanie met her husband Ben in 1989 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They fell “head-over-heels in love,” beginning a 37‑year bond that would take them through Massachusetts, Maine, California, and, eventually, back home to Rhode Island. In 1998, her son Benji was born. Melanie was fiercely dedicated to Benji. She was an ever-present, ever-loving, and ever-supportive mother.

Melanie always held her sisters close, treating her nieces and nephews like her own children. She was a loyal and kind friend to many and will be missed and remembered each day.

Melanie loved to walk among the trees and beaches of South County, never failing to witness natural beauty. She liked to “just feel the way that air kisses your cheek.” Her final advice to her son was to look up and find where the trees meet the sky. “That’s where I’ll be.”

She is survived by her husband, Ben; her son, Benji; her parents, Sarah and Vasant; and her sisters, Dawn, Rebecca, and Sara.

Her ashes will be placed in a columbarium niche in Newport, beside the spaces reserved for her parents. A memorial service celebrating Melanie’s life will be held on June 19th at St. Peter’s by-the-Sea with a reception to follow.