Melodie Ann Fugate

Melodie Ann Fugate, 65, of Palestine, IL, passed away on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Deaconess Gateway Hospital in Evansville, IN. She was born on November 14, 1957, in Reno, NV, to Gerald "Larry" Moisan & Joyce (Lombard) Moisan, both of whom preceded her in death. She married William "Bill" Fugate on September 15, 2009, and he preceded her in death on March 19, 2020.

She is survived by her children & their spouses, Felicia & Billy Caudill, Angela & Kevin Rose, Johnathan & Rachel Grimes, and Tara Grimes; by her "adopted" kids, Mike Wakeman and Shauna Culp; by ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; by three sisters, Pamela Wilcox, Tammy Bennett, and Lori Winchester; by her sisters-in-law, Alice Cheeseman and Starr Pearse; by her friend of 47 years and the father of her children, Paul Grimes; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Melodie grew up in the La Porte, IN, area, where she enjoyed participating in her high school's drum & bugle corps. Most of her career was spent in La Porte as well. As a CNA, she took care of the residents of Fountainview Terrace before lending a hand to the special needs students of La Porte High School. Eventually, she found employment at La Porte Hospital before moving to the area and rounding out her career at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, where she retired in 2020.

Much of her free time found Melodie traveling. Through the years, she took in the natural beauty of states like Tennessee and Virginia and the history and culture of states like Massachusetts and New York. Her venture to Atlantic City was a particular favorite, as her time there was primarily spent in casinos! Melodie's love of slot machines was the stuff of legend, as was her affinity for Bingo. Locally, she attended many a Bingo night put on by the Palestine Eagles and Robinson Elks. Though events like this filled her time, her heart was filled by her family. Few things brought more life to her living than going out to eat with them, shopping alongside them, or any other means by which they could share moments together. This included video chatting with her great-grandchildren, who were each the apple of her eye.

Those who loved Melodie Fugate could never forget this firecracker of a woman, nor how she filled her days with humor, joy, and love.

It was her wish to be cremated, and a memorial service will be held at a later date. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine is in charge of cremation arrangements. In honor of her love of animals, memorials may be made to the "Crawford County Humane Society", with envelopes available at the funeral home.