Melanie Popa Piette

Melanie Piette Popa (née Mary Melanie Piette) turns 60 today. Born 18 months after her next oldest brother (Mark) and only 29 months after her oldest brother (Chas). The first of three girls, and the one who is always described as the “sweetest” of the Piette kids. (well, sometimes *I* get called that. But I think it is meant ironically)

 Though named after the Blessed Virgin, she was always (or at least as long as I knew her) called Melanie, or more familiarly, Mel. There was always much speculation in the family that she was named after Melanie Wilkes (née Hamilton) from Gone With the Wind. We were always assured that no, our mother had a very good friend whose name was Melanie, and she was named after that friend.

 As Chas was the teacher, and Mark was the rogue, Mel acted as the younger kids’ comforter. She was always around when we needed to talk to someone, needed someone to play with, or just someone to hang around with.

 

Mel at her first communion

I was in the same school with Mel only twice - once at St Mary’s when I was in first and second grade and I believe she was in seventh and eight grade. She then went to Xavier High School and I was just a kid. Then when I started at UW Madison she was there getting one of her advanced degrees in molecular biology.

 

Dan, Ab, Ree, Mel, Mark, Chas

I can remember one summer when Noey and the young ‘uns were down in Louisiana, and Daddy, Chas, Mel, Abbie, and I were in Appleton. Mel and Ab were generally assigned the cooking task - even though I know Mel had a job. We ate a lot of Creamed Dried Beef on Toast for supper. And a lot of sandwiches for lunch. I can also remember watching a lot of “Ironing Board Classics” - old movies on the TV in the afternoon.

 I can remember taking Mel to horse riding lessons (really! horse riding) when I was very small. I have no idea where the stable was, but it is an indelible memory for me. Another is when we dropped Mel off at UW-M (that is University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee for you non-Wisconsonians). I am not really sure why she started at UW-M rather than UW, but there you have it. 

Top Row: Mark, Mel, Chas
Bottom Row: Abbie, Ree, Dan

But the best part for me was when we were both in Madison.

Mel and Frank got married the first year I was in Madison, and I think it was even in the first semester I was there. They got married in secret so Mel could keep her job as a house mother at the Elizabeth Water’s dorm. Frank’s father (Frank Sr) always used to joke that most of the kids he knew lived together without getting married. He said that Mel and Frank got married but didn’t live together.

 

Mel, Frank, Grandmother, Dan, Mark, Matt, Becky, Ree, Ab at Ab & Gus's wedding

But those were some good years at Madison. I spent a lot of time with Mel and Frank throughout my time there, especially the last year and a half. It was one of those easy relationships where it didn’t matter who was doing what, a phone call always meant that you had someone else to grab a beer with, get some dinner, or play some cards. Plenty of cards. Mostly Sheepshead, but also Euchre.

Even after we both left school (we left Madison at the same time! Mel and Frank for Pittsburgh, me for Houston) we stayed in close touch. My very first ever business trip (to Montreal) routed me through Pittsburgh. It was like we had never left Madison! Mel was still working on her PhD, and Franks was designing nuclear cores. We still drank too much beer and “talked smart”

It was exciting when Mel got her PhD. I think everyone in the family was very proud of that! It had something to do with Phages. (those are virus’s viruses - think of the De Morgan doggeral : Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. And the great fleas themselves, in turn, have greater fleas to go on; While these again have greater still, and greater still, and so on. I think phages are the littlest fleas)

And then a professorship at Pitt! Sort of one of those lives you think about in college (I want to stay in school!) but few of us enjoy.

But let’s not forget about Little Abbie:

Little Abbie getting "Uncled"

a very lucky child indeed. With Mel and Frank as her folks (and, of course, with a passel of aunts and uncles to help) it was inevitable that she would get into and out of Brown University.

Matt, Mark, Jeannette, Dan, Mel, Abbie, Chas

Always the great hostess, Doreen and I were in Pittsburgh a couple of years ago and stayed with them.

 

Frank, Mel, Doreen, Dan at Falling Water

We had a great time, as was expected. We drank too much beer, and still talked smart.

 

Happy Birthday, Mel!

 

Love,

 

Dan