Thelma Linda (née Dunphy) Melvin

On May 27, 2025, Thelma Linda Melvin was reunited with the love of her life, Austin Melvin. She leaves behind her 5 wonderful children and their families: Scott (Yvonne and Gracie), Dale (Sheena, Isabelle, Olivia), Lee (Leah, Shaemus, Brenna), Christa (Madison, Patrick), and Colin (Leanne, Jackson, Johnathon), as well as her two great grandchildren; Aidan and Violet. She also leaves behind her loving sister, Dawn, and her four kids (Liam, Meaghan, Sheehan, and Brennan), and so many other amazing in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was predeceased by her husband, Austin, her parents; Dorothy and Lewis Dunphy, her brother, Gary Dunphy and her precious, precious grandson, Zac Melvin.

Thelma was born in Toronto, Ontario on May 21, 1954. She was the oldest of three children and took every opportunity to let them know where she stood in the family rank! When she was 13 years old, her parents moved the family back to Newfoundland. It wasn’t an easy move for her but Thelma worked to make the best of it as she did with everything that was handed to her in life. In the early 1970’s her mother asked her to accompany her to the wake of a Mr. Philip Melvin. Thelma respectfully agreed and ended up meeting the man of her dreams, who would become her husband, at his own father’s wake! About one and a half years later she married this amazing man, Austin Melvin and they went on to have 5 wonderful children. Thelma stayed home to care for her kids until 1989 when she successfully completed her Teachers’ Assistant Program. She was a Teachers’ Assistant, loved by many, from the Goulds to Mobile until her retirement.

There was nothing Thelma loved more than watching someone come through that front door. You sat down to her table, the kettle was put on, food was offered to you and great opportunities for a chit chat of the latest events awaited. If you happened to be a Come From Away, you left with one of her personalized, handcrafted gifts she made. You walked in a guest, but you left a friend and a family member. Thelma was a fantastic craftsperson – it was often said she could sew the arse in a cat! But she didn’t only sew – she knit, crocheted, painted, cross-stitched, quilted, and created many beautiful things on her Cricut. Her apricot cake and bakeapple cheesecake were renowned and will be missed by so many. It wasn’t unusual for Thelma to make 12-20 loaves of bread and scatter them across the shore, Alberta and British Columbia! Another love of Thelma’s was travel. She was always looking for a seat sale! She was lucky to visit Qatar, Copenhagen, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and she was always recognizable in an airport as one of the best dressed travellers around. That woman was always done up like a stick of gum!

Through Thelma’s battle with lung cancer she would tell anyone who would listen that she had support from coast to coast in this country. One of her greatest fears was forgetting someone on the list of thank-you’s in her obituary. It was important to her that everybody who crossed her path know that they made a difference and she was deeply appreciative. She did want to send a very special thank you to her friend Carla Browne, who exemplified friendship to her, her cousin Val Royal, who jumped at every whim and made her laugh beyond belief, and Marie and Robert Reddigan, who genuinely made her feel like she was a mother to more. We would also like to thank Judy Power, Connie Dinn and Mary Jane Dinn for without their help staying overnight she would not have been able to stay at home. The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Wade Mercer for his years of care and the many home visits in her last few months, as well as all of the people she worked with at the cancer clinic, the chemo unit, and the palliative care team. They would also like to thank all of the care workers from Quality Care who came and made her feel like she was the most important person in the world.

At Thelma’s request, cremation has taken place. Visitation will be held on Friday, May 30th at Ryan's Funeral Home, Bay Bulls from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Kevin’s Catholic Parish, Goulds on Saturday, May 31st, 2025 at 10:00 am with inurnment to follow at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Tors Cove.

For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed with the link available below.

If friends so desire, donations in Thelma's memory may be made to the Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre.

"Missing someone is sadness wrapped in the blanket of having known them."

Rest in peace, dear Thelma.

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