Melissa Ley, 42, passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2021.
Born on December 7, 1978, in Davie, Florida, Melissa was the oldest child born to Kevin A. and Cheryl L. (Ostaski) Nielsen. The family would move from Margate, Florida to Plymouth, Indiana in 1992. She would attend Plymouth High School and be involved in the drama club, graduating with the class of 1998. She would then go on to attend Ancilla College in Donaldson.
While in high school, she was friends with Daniel P. Ley. They would grow apart for a while after high school but would re-connect in 2009. Melissa would marry Dan on May 16, 2015, at the Wild Rose Moon in Plymouth. The couple dreamed of traveling but health complications didn’t allow that to happen.
Melissa was bubbly, always smiling and never knew a stranger. She loved to talk and ask questions about what she didn’t know. She was a role model for her siblings, and they looked up to her. She enjoyed asking her mother-in-law for cooking tips and recipes and loved getting to dogsit Emma, her mother-in-law’s dog, for extended weekends.
She loved watching Netflix, reading and was very computer savvy. Melissa attended New Song Community Church with Dan. She personally struggled with mental illness and was always trying to get better. Her family loved her strong will and heart.
She is dearly missed by her husband, Dan of Plymouth; her father, Kevin Nielsen of Plymouth; her siblings, Brittany (Chase) Wright of Bourbon, Jeff Nielsen of Plymouth, and Katie (Brendan Orr) Nielsen of Plymouth; nephew, Walker Wright and maternal grandmother, Beverly Ostaski of Coconut Creek, FL; her mother-in-law, Therese “Terry” Winter Ley; sister-in-law, Emily (Kevin) Escapule of Warsaw and nephew and niece, Carter and Harper Escapule as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Melissa was preceded in death by her mother Cheryl Nielsen, father-in-law Eugene “Gene” Ley and maternal grandfather, Joe Ostaski.
A Celebration of Life will be held in the spring of 2022.
Memorial contributions can be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Indiana 4656 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 100, Ft. Wayne, IN 46804.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the website: www.johnson-danielson.com<http://www.johnson-danielson.com>
