Melanie G. Jaffee

ENOSBURG FALLS - Melanie Grace Jaffee of Enosburg Falls, VT passed away in the late hours of March 12, 2018 at the young age of 27.

Melanie leaves behind parents Amy Cochran and Marc Jaffee and siblings Valerie, Stephanie, Marcie, and Tony. Along with many dedicated and loving friends, Melanie leaves behind a world now deprived of the warmth and kindness she offered to all she met.

Raised a small-town farm girl, Melanie\u0027s thirst for adventure brought her to Boston to complete her last two years of high school. In Boston, Melanie flourished, and her interests in art, design, writing and dance were encouraged and refined. Before long, Melanie was participating in dance recitals and art exhibitions in the heart of Harvard Square, and she received offers to attend the most prestigious art colleges in the country, including Parsons School of Design in New York City. Lacking the financial means to attend these schools, Melanie instead applied the exceptional work ethic that she had maintained continuously since her first job at age 14.

Melanie remained in Boston, where she shared an apartment, endless laughs, adventures, disasters, and love with her older sister and father. Together, Melanie, Marcie, and Marc Jaffee raised Melanie\u0027s Boston Terrier puppy Rigby (named after the Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby").

Melanie was a gentle soul, a natural caretaker, and a friend to everyone she met. Working as a nursing home attendant, she formed deep friendships with the residents, occasionally returning home from work in tears after losing a resident she had befriended. In the last text message Melanie sent to her mother, she wrote: "I like making people happy. It\u0027s what I\u0027m good at." \t

As often occurs, Melanie\u0027s tender and open heart was accompanied by an inner pain that is best expressed in Melanie\u0027s own writing:

Her eyes close, she dreams, but she does not rest.
Her mind is spinning, her forehead is getting premature wrinkles.
Her hair, her eyes, her body, all aging right before her eyes in the mirror.
There is not enough time. Time is passing so fast, she wants to grab
the clock, throw it across the room and scream as though the time was eating her flesh.
It\u0027s like staring up into the sky and just realizing, "wow... the clouds are actually moving."
This is how she feels every morning, as she tears away another piece of her day-by-day calendar.
The future is open, exciting, and full of possibilities but that\u0027s all it is.
It will never come. Because she will keep watching the clock,
watching her body and face change, watching people drift away,
watching her beloved cat grow old, and watch the clouds drift by...surprisingly fast.

Melanie found solace in books and movies and writing. She spoke openly of her struggles with addiction, and her desire to overcome them. "Artificial substances have become a problem but I am now developing the ability to realize the true beauty of love, friendship, pleasure, and happiness. As rarely as I admit it, I want to live a long life. And improve myself every step of the way."

In a moment of vulnerability, Melanie fell victim to the poisonous and devastating opiate epidemic known all too well. A precious, vibrant, lovely, complex, and truly unique person, Melanie will be profoundly missed, and the memories of her radiant smile and infectious laugh will remain carefully guarded deep within our hearts.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, March 19, 2018 at 10:00 AM at All Saints Catholic Church, Main St., Richford, VT. Interment will follow in All Saints Cemetery.

For those who wish, contributions in Melanie\u0027s honor may be made to the Phoenix House, Attn: Elena Sturman, 50 Jay St., Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Condolences, photos and favorite memories may be shared through www.gossfs.com