Obituary of Christina Marie Melott

Christina Marie (Hoffer) Melott, 48, unexpectedly passed into the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from her home in Colorado Springs, CO, on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. She was born in Peoria, IL, to Robert J. and Evelyn M. (Call) Hoffer. She married Daniel W. Melott in December, 1996, in Morton, IL. She is survived by her husband, Dan, and their children Owen, Abigail, and Gavin, all of Colorado Springs; her parents of Peoria, IL; and her sister Amy and husband Rob Allen and nephews Spencer and Samuel of Port Hueneme, CA.Christina attended elementary schools in Morton, the International School in Geneva, Switzerland, and graduated from Morton High School. She was awarded BA degree majoring in Political Science and French, including study abroad in France, followed by a MA in Communications from Illinois State University. While at ISU she was also very active in Delta Zeta sorority, holding several leadership positions and building lifelong relationships with her sorority sisters, including her natural sister. After college, she and Amy lived together in Arlington, VA, where she met her future husband who was in the U.S. Air Force working at the Pentagon.Immediately after their wedding, she and Dan moved near Cambridge, England; then back to Virginia and then near Oxford, England, where Owen and Abi were born; to Texas where Gavin was born; then New Mexico, followed by Heidelberg and Stuttgart, Germany, before moving to Colorado Springs.Christina had a strong and confident personality, was an extraordinary organizer, planner, and doer with a very high focus on others. She was dedicated to her family and many friends, always quick to offer helping hands when they were in need. While on their many Air Force assignments in the U.S. and Europe, Christina was heavily involved with Mothers of Pre-Schoolers, particularly helping them manage family life and supporting them when their spouses were deployed. Her Christian faith, which began as a child and quickly developed, prepared her to serve and lead on-base ministries, Protestant Women of the Chapel and others in which she was very active over many years.She had a gift and flair for decorating house and home, always stylishly so; she loved shopping, mostly frugally, famously building her amazing collection of Polish pottery, and neatly outfitting herself and her children. She invested much love, time and attention on her immediate family, often challenged by relocations, Dan's deployments and assignments, and six new schools for the kids over their years.Christina's love of travel from early childhood matured her into a near-professional trip planner and traveler. She believed strongly in the value of experiencing new locations and cultures to develop her family as they traveled throughout Europe and the U.S. Her affection for the mountains and skiing was planted early, grew through adolescence, matured after college, and was never far from her mind. She particularly loved Switzerland and was so happy to be able to live, raise a family, and play in and near the Alps and, most recently, again in the Rockies.Colorado services: Local visitation will be Wednesday, December 14, 2016, beginning at 5:00pm followed by a memorial service at 6:00pm held at The Springs Funeral Services, 6575 Oakwood Blvd., Colorado Springs, CO.Illinois services: Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00pm, Tuesday, December 20, 2016, and again 8:30-9:45am, Wednesday, December 21, 2016, at Grace Evangelical Church, 1325 E. Jefferson St., Morton, IL. Funeral services will beginning at 10:00am at the church with burial following at Springdale Cemetery, 3014 N. Prospect Rd., Peoria, IL 61603.Notes of condolences may be sent using www.TheSpringsFuneralServices.com website. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made in Christina's name to Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS) at www.mops.org or The Delta Zeta Sorority Foundation at http://www.deltazeta.org/give-graciously/ Funeral Home:The Springs Funeral Services3115 East Platte AvenueColorado Springs, , COUS 80909 Events Visitation Wednesday, December 14, 2016 5:00PM - 6:00PM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611 Service Wednesday, December 14, 2016 6:00PM The Springs Funeral Services - North 6575 Oakwood Blvd. Colorado Springs, CO 80923 Phone: 719-207-8611 Cemetery Wednesday, December 21, 2016 11:30AM Springdale Cemetery 3014 North Prospect Road Peoria, IL 61603 Phone: 719-328-1793 Visitation Wednesday, December 21, 2016 10:00AM Grace Evangelical Church 1325 East Jefferson Street Morton, IL 61550 Phone: 309-266-9281 Service Tuesday, December 20, 2016 5:00PM - 7:00PM Grace Evangelical Church 1325 East Jefferson Street Morton, IL 61550 Phone: 309-266-9281 Service Wednesday, December 21, 2016 8:30AM - 9:45AM Grace Evangelical Church 1325 East Jefferson Street Morton, IL 61550 Phone: 309-266-9281