Melinda (Mindy) A. Nixon, 59, of Bowling Green, KY, formerly of Plymouth died quietly on June 30, 2024, in her own home of natural causes.
She was born on Sept. 29, 1964, in Rushville, IN to her parents William (Bill) and Sibyl (Meloy) Nixon.
She had a master’s degree in education and spent her career as a music teacher and band director.
She is survived by her parents, Bill, and Sibyl Nixon; her brother Rusty and his wife Maggie (Hopkins) Nixon, and their children Jake Kelly, Elijah Nixon, Nate Nixon, Ben Nixon, and Zephan Nixon; her brother Andy Nixon and his wife Jill; and her sister Nancy Baldwin (Nixon), and her husband Chris Baldwin and their children, Allison Baldwin, Sam Baldwin and Ashley Baldwin.
She is preceded in death by her maternal grandparents Watson and Frances Meloy and her paternal grandparents Al and Annabelle Nixon.
Above is the mundane, run-of-the-mill format for an obituary, but Mindy was anything but mundane and run-of-the-mill so the rest of this will be a bit different.
Mindy lived outside of the lines and walked her own way that was sometimes off the well-beaten path. She was a bright light in a vanilla world.
She loved with all of her being. She gave with all of her soul. She never turned away from the right thing, even when it hurt.
She was an artist.
She had an artist’s mentality that saw everything with an eye of wonder and joy. An artist’s soul that always feels too much. An artist’s alienation in a world that never really “gets it.” An artist’s feeling of always being an outsider and never quite fitting in. An artist’s attitude that doesn’t really care to fit in. An artist’s loneliness because of it, and that exciting artist’s thrill in the world of the ordinary to be able to see brilliant colors where most see just grey.
She was incredibly gifted as a musician but had the artist’s self-doubt. She had the divine gift of taking all her joy in helping others to see and develop those gifts within themselves. Her joy wasn’t in her own talent, but in helping others see that talent in themselves.
Mindy never had a harsh thing to say about anyone that I ever heard, even those who may have done her wrong.
She loved without reservation, without asking anything in return. She joyed in helping others, especially those who might not be able to help themselves.
Somehow it seems fitting in a way that her heart finally just gave out. She had given so much of it to everyone she met I’m surprised there was any left.
There will be a private family graveside service on Friday, July 12. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, you honor Mindy’s great love of animals with a donation in her name to the Marshall County Humane Society.