Melanie (Mel) Gill, aged 68, passed away on April 28, 2026 after a long battle with cancer. Born in Reading Massachusetts on April 27, 1957. Mel lived a life that was anything but ordinary-a fact that pleased her deeply.

As a child Mel contracted encephalitis, an illness that changed the course of her life. It affected her social and behavioral development, and those challenges helped shape her into the warm, surprising, and singular person her family and friends loved and cherished.

Mel had an uncanny ability to remember dates - birthdays, anniversaries, and small moments - and was nothing short of a math whiz, delighting those around her with quick mental calculations. She spent countless hours with her nieces and nephews, patiently playing board games, reading stories or just keeping them company. Mel loved people and her open trust made her a friend to many with an effortless warmth.

She is remembered for her stubborn spirit, gentle honesty, and the way she turned ordinary moments into lasting memories.

Funeral services will be held at graveside, at Forest Glenn Cemetery, 270 Pearl Street, Reading MA at 1P.M. on Wednesday May 27 - what would have been Mel's 69th Birthday. Those who wish to remember Mel are invited to share a memory, story or photo with the family at the funeral home's online guestbook at www.douglassfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Mels memory to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation to honor her closest and best friend Vicki. www.cerebralpalsyfoundation.org

Arrangements are entrusted to Douglass, Edgerley and Bessom Funeral Home, 25 Sanborn Street Reading 01867. Contact the Funeral Home for service details and online guestbook.