Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Silverman Mardi Gras Memorial: Second-Line Parade Honors the Late Melissa Duke Mooney
Posted by Jack Silverman on Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 2:50 PM
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On the weekend before Mardi Gras (today), it's not surprising to see a brass band marching through the streets, leading a second-line parade packed with revelers decked out in colorful costumes and twirling festooned parasols. That is, assuming you're wandering through New Orleans' French Quarter. But it's not a sight you'd expect to see driving through the streets of East Nashville--unless you knew Melissa Duke Mooney.
Melissa died unexpectedly last Wednesday after a brief illness at age 41. In just five short years in Nashville, Melissa, her husband Neil and their two young daughters had become fixtures in the close-knit community of musicians and artists on Nashville's East Side. Just a few days before Melissa's death, Neil and his band were entertaining a crowd at the Family Wash. Little did anyone know that 10 days later, hundreds of adoring friends would be gathered in that same spot to bid Melissa a final farewell.
Funerals aren't high on my list of "Fun Ways to Spend a Sunday," particularly when you're grieving the sudden death of a 41-year-old woman who leaves behind a young family. But if you knew Melissa, you knew this would be no ordinary funeral.
More on Melissa, and a whole mess o' photos, after the jump.
A native of Baton Rouge and a lifelong lover of everything New Orleans--thus the second-line parade, not to mention the names of her daughters, Nola and Tullulah--Melissa was a force of nature who had a passion for, among other things, making her friends dress up in costumes, an obsession that was honored in high style on Sunday afternoon. A publicist for Junket Productions out of Los Angeles, she worked from home, allowing her to spend time sharing her artistic talents with her children. She was also a tireless volunteer, and her latest cause was raising funds for art and music programs at Dan Mills Elementary School, where her daughter attends kindergarten. (Donations in Melissa's name be made to Dan Mills Elementary School, 4106 Kennedy Ave., Nashville, TN 37216.)
The overflow crowd at Eastwood Christian Church spilled out onto the sidewalk, as friends and family remembered Melissa with a mix of tears and laughter. As for the celebration that followed, it's probably best to let the pictures tell the story. I've never been to a memorial so moving, sad, joyful and celebratory, and don't know if I ever will again. Maggie Conran offers a touching recollection of Sunday's festivities at her blog Just Say No to Mommy Brain!
Many thanks to Iris Baker and Andee Rudloff for the photos.
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Comments (2)
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Hey! Thanks for posting a link to my blog. I just wanted those who weren't able to attend on Sunday to get the same sense of joyful closure that the rest of us walked away with. That was one powerful afternoon!
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Posted by
Maggie - No Mommy Brain
on February 24, 2009 at 9:39 PM
Hey Jack - this was so perfect. I think you captured the moment so eloquently. I sent this and Maggie's blog entry out to my blog/mailing list. Hope that's cool. It was great to see you despite the circumstances.
http://tinyurl.com/bmgdm8
Posted by
Charles Alexander
on February 25, 2009 at 2:55 AM
