Melanie Rose (Bauer) Acton
- Published: May 8, 2025
Melanie Rose (Bauer) Acton, 83, of Yellow Springs, passed away peacefully at Friends Care Community on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 7:10 p.m., after a courageous battle with a malignant brain tumor. Melanie lived a life centered on love, family and community.
The oldest of two children, Melanie was born Sept. 4, 1941, to the late Charles and Donna Bauer, in Dayton, Ohio. Melanie was a graduate of Roosevelt High School in Dayton.
After high school she worked at Ohio Bell Telephone Company as a switchboard operator and later drafting to map telephone line and pole locations. She married the love of her life, Ralph Acton, in 1961, after meeting him at the Blue Moon in Xenia. Melanie transitioned to life in the country outside of Yellow Springs in two homes, one on Snypp Road, while raising her family, and later returning back to the Acton family farm on Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road. As a homemaker raising her children, she worked in the gardens, canning and freezing many fruits and vegetables as well as gathering and selling eggs from the chickens they raised. In the early years, she was a member of the Rebekah Lodge, serving in many positions. She was also involved in the Greene County Homemakers Extension Club and Yellow Springs United Methodist Women.
After her children were all in school she worked as a secretary for Yellow Springs United Methodist Church and as an optical assistant for a local optometrist. However, the role she cherished most was that of mother and grandmother. Her children and grandchildren were her heart, and she devoted her life to nurturing and loving them. As a testament to her dedication to her family, she became the full-time caregiver for four of her grandchildren, and enjoyed the summertime, weekend and holiday visits from her three grandchildren who resided out of town.
Melanie was a wonderful cook, and every family gathering included a meal for which she prepared everyone’s favorite dishes. Rarely was the cookie jar not full of homemade chocolate chip cookies for others to enjoy. She was also well-known for the many Christmas cookies she baked each year that she shared with family, friends and neighbors.
Melanie and Ralph shared 63 wonderful years of marriage. During this time, they spent many years square dancing, traveling with their camper, boating, playing cards and spending 25 years as snowbirds each winter in Florida.
Melanie’s love, kindness and strength were felt by everyone who knew her. In her final days, she often expressed her deep love for her family and her pride in her grandchildren. Her legacy is one of unconditional love, faith and devotion.
She is survived by her husband, Ralph; her children, Donna (Paul) Evans, Diane (Steve Federinko) Acton Johnson, Debra (Tony) Benton and David Acton; and her seven grandchildren: William (Kim LeCuyer) Evans, Melanie Evans, Jaden Johnson, Jayme Johnson, Anthony Benton, Annika Benton and Kianna Benton. She was welcomed into eternal rest by her parents, Charles and Donna Bauer; her brother, Charles Bauer; and three beloved grandchildren, Elizabeth Evans, Michael Benton and Jasmine Benton.
Visitation with family was held Sunday, May 4, 2025, from 3–6 p.m., at Jackson Lytle & Lewis Funeral Home, Yellow Springs. A service was held at Yellow Springs United Methodist Church on Monday, May 5, 2025, at 11 a.m., with the Revs. Sherri Blackwell and Brenda Freeman officiating. The family received visitors one hour prior to the service. Interment took place Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at 11 a.m., at Glen Forest Cemetery East.
The family requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Friends Care Community, 150 E. Herman St., Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387, in gratitude for the care and compassion shown to Melanie and her family.
“She loved deeply, gave generously and leaves a legacy that will live on in the hearts of those who loved her.”
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