In Memory of Melinda: Help Her Children & Honor Her Legacy

On March 31st, 2025, our beautiful mother, Melinda Gale Howard, passed away in Jacksonville, Florida, after a fierce and painful battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She was just 49 years old.

Melinda was the heart of our family — a loving mother, daughter, sister, and friend whose strength, compassion, and loyalty touched everyone she met. She had a smile that no one could ever forget — warm, comforting, and always real. She cared deeply for others, and that love showed through in everything she did — especially in her career as a nurse, where she dedicated herself to helping and healing others until she could no longer physically do so.

She gave everything she had to those she loved, and even in her final moments, she was thinking about her children’s well-being above all else.

We are raising funds to honor her memory in a meaningful way and to provide stability for her surviving children during this incredibly difficult time.

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What Your Support Will Help With:

1. Celebration of Life – May 10th (France Park, Indiana)

We are planning a memorial service at France Park in Logansport, Indiana — a place that holds deep sentimental value and cherished memories for our family. It was special to our mother throughout her entire life — from her childhood, into adulthood, and through her years as a mother.

Funds will help cover the cost of the venue, travel, food, flowers, decorations, and other arrangements to ensure we can properly honor her in a place she truly loved.

2. Support for Her Children

Melinda leaves behind three children:

• Yugi Crowe (eldest) – One of her full-time caregivers, Yugi left behind his career, apartment, and belongings in Las Vegas to be by her side during her final year. He sacrificed everything to give her the care, comfort, and love she needed in her final chapter.

• Brayden Howard (middle) – Also a full-time caregiver, Brayden showed strength and resilience far beyond his years. While helping care for Melinda daily, he also continued working to help provide for the household during that incredibly difficult time.

• Isabella “Lily” Howard (youngest) – Still in high school, Lily is working toward graduation, her driver’s license, and future college/career opportunities — now doing so without the mother who had always been her biggest supporter.

This fundraiser will help us grieve without the added burden of financial uncertainty — and allow us the time and space to begin healing and rebuilding our lives.

3. Pancreatic Cancer Awareness & Research

10% of all donations will be given directly to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) in Melinda’s name — to help support other families facing this devastating disease and to advance research for earlier detection and better treatment. The donation(s) will be made publicly by our family after the fundraiser closes.

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With Deep Gratitude

Anything you give — no matter how small — means more than words can say. Thank you for helping us carry on her legacy, honor her life, and support the family she loved so deeply.

With love,

Yugi, Brayden, and Lily

(The Children of Melinda Gale Howard)