Melinda Eune Vuchetich's Obituary
Melinda Eune Beever Vuchetich was born in Portola, California, March 13, 1948, the eldest daughter of Dorothy and Norman Beever. She graduated in 1966 from Loyalton High School and moved to Sacramento to pursue a college education. She joined the USO and met her future husband, Peter Dyke Vuchetich there. They married in August, 1968. His Naval career first took them to San Diego, then to Hawaii for a few years, but for the rest of her life, she called San Diego home. They were blessed with three children, although their first, Melody Bernice, was stillborn. Their oldest son, Norman Peter, followed his father’s footsteps into the military. Their youngest, Phillip James, entered the healthcare profession. Melinda valued education highly and was so proud to earn her college degree in accounting in 1986. During her long career, she worked for Mercy Hospital, Scientific Applications International Corporation (SAIC), and University Mechanical & Engineering Contractors (UMEC), retiring in 2010. She also enjoyed traveling and counted trips to Europe, South America and around the United States as highlights in her life. She was generous and kind, opening her home to students and friends alike. She loved music, gardening, sewing, participating in Predicted Log yacht races, her many friends, her family and her beloved city of San Diego. She was an active woman, so a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) was a difficult blow. But she enjoyed the time she had and stayed active as long as she could, enjoying trips to the San Diego Zoo and visits from friends and family. Melinda is preceded in death by her parents, her brother and her infant daughter. She is survived by her loving husband, Peter; her sister and brother-in-law, Nora and Steve Oels; her two sons, Norman, his wife Starr and their daughters Pandora and Ariel, and Phillip and his wife Emily, and their children, John, William, Daniel and Natalie; her large extended family and numerous friends. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to the ALS Society of Greater San Diego.
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