Melanie Rae Kaake (Seats), age 80, passed away on Friday, April 28, 2023. She was born on April 23, 1943, in Holland, MI, to LaRue and Frances Seats, and brothers Carmen and Carroll (who also became Mighty and Meeny to her).
Melanie was predeceased by her daughter, Jamie Rae (twin to Jodi), husband, Karl Kaake, and her parents, LaRue and Frances Seats. She will be lovingly remembered by daughters Amy Volkers (Bill Murphy) of Delray Beach, FL, Jodi Stanley (Frank) of Rockford, MI, Valarie Volkers of Holland, MI, and son, Kenneth Kruithof (Sherry) of Holland, MI, grandchildren Hilary Lapham (Matthew), Brianna Stoel, Hannah Rae Frantz, Ava Stanley, great-grandchildren Broderick, Brooks, and Lennox Lapham and Fiona Stoel. She is also survived by much-loved brothers Carmen (Betty) Seats, Carroll (Marilyn) Seats, nieces and nephews Ellie (Veronica Zavala) Seats, Dan (Pam) Seats, Mike (Sheila) Seats, Kathy (Dick) Hudson, and Steve Seats. She leaves behind her two cherished feline friends, Abigail and Coal. (While Abigail has a new home with Valarie, Coal’s home is uncertain. He is front-declawed and very sweet, so if anyone has a possible home, we would be so happy to hear from you).
She was a private person in many ways, but to her circle, Melanie was a vibrant and clever conversationalist. She loved to read detective novels and painted many beautiful canvases, also knitting and crocheting for many. She had a keen eye for design and pulled together every single room in her home to perfection, choosing amazing accessories, color palettes, and furnishings to create welcoming, Pinterest-worthy spaces, inside and out. And even though she didn’t love it, Melanie was a great cook and baker.
As a fun and thoughtful mom, Melanie presided over many Scrabble games with her kids, with victorious (all-time champion) Valarie, poor loser Jodi, and look-up queen, Amy. Mom’s Scrabble box lid was a repository of years of handwritten notes, reporting shocking high-score words, tight and landslide victories, and other complaints and naming names. Valarie, (whose quick wit surpasses everyone in the family), will remember and carries forward her mom’s sassy sense of humor and unconditional love. Jodi carries forward Mom’s devotion to birthday wishes, recalling Mom being undaunted by requests for grape birthday cake and wrapping each special office supply in sparkly tissue paper. There were also group Mom-daughter haircut and perm trips, Saturday night TV fests of Carol Burnett, SNL, and Mary Tyler Moore shows with popcorn and root beer floats, and many other fun times too numerous to mention. Amy will remember Mom reading stories from our earliest years. She will carry Mom’s legacy of crossword puzzles and a special favorite: that of Melanie’s colorful wardrobe, always perfectly coordinated–being a woman with a very little black in her closet!
The grandkids also go forward to honor their favorite things about “Gram,” with Hilary holding dear memories of her weekly visits during her Hope College years, snacking on Gram’s baked goods and coffee, and hours of chatting. Hannah loved Gram’s fluffy-haired girl stories and endless hours playing in the basement. Ava cherishes her memories of playing with Gram’s dozens of tiny, flocked teddy bears, their work on elaborate fairy gardens, watching movies, eating “nothings” and her inimitable scrambled eggs. Melanie will be deeply missed by all who loved her, but we look ahead to a great reunion with her in Heaven’s beautiful gardens one day.
A celebration of life gathering will take place on August 5, 2023, details to follow. If you would like to join, the family would love to have you. Please reach out to jodi.stanley34@gmail.com. If you would like to remember Melanie with a gift, donations to Noah Project (noahprojectmuskegon.org) will celebrate her love of animals.
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