Pleasanton Crash Victim Was A Nurturing 'Moral Authority'; Donate To Funeral Fundraiser

PLEASANTON, CA — Melanie Mouat, 24, of Pleasanton died last week in a rollover car crash and was remembered as a kind soul and "moral authority" in a tribute posted this week to an online fundraiser to help defray her funeral expenses.

The GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign was organized by July Kirkpatrick, a friend who met Mouat in a virtual community for the video game Minecraft.

The two never met in person, but their long-distance friendship blossomed over the years through long phone calls and gift-giving. Mouat, who was an administrator for the virtual community, "left behind a community of people who looked up to her," Kirkpatrick said on the fundraiser.

Offline, Mouat "had a deep, loving, and nurturing nature" and "fought not only for equality, but equity for all," Kirkpatrick said. "Humanity was never up for debate with her," she said. Mouat "saw all people as being worthy of fairness."

"Melanie was an amazing friend to me," said another friend, Haylee Moore, on the GoFundMe page. "I will [never] forget her voice, her smile, the times we had together. She will be missed forever."

Mouat was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash on West Las Positas Boulevard reported around 10:30 p.m. Nov. 4. Investigators believed Mouat was speeding when she crashed into a center median curb east of Hopyard Road, causing the car to flip onto the driver's side and crash into a light pole, police said. The light pole caused the car's roof to cave into the passenger side.

Donate to the fundraiser for Mouat's funeral.

Mouat graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara last summer with a bachelor's degree in sociology and the history of public policy and a minor in the history of labor studies, according to her LinkedIn profile. She published a study at UCSB on the connections between a person's access to higher education and their poverty level. She also participated in the orchestra and wind ensemble.

Mouat attended West Boca Raton Community High School in Florida, where she was a National Honor Society student. She graduated in the top 15 percent of her class, according to LinkedIn.

Mouat was a dispatcher with All-Guard Alarm Systems in Livermore at the time of her death. She previously worked as a community service officer with her campus police department and as a caregiver and tutor, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Mouat left behind a father, mother, brother, grandmother and two dogs whom she cherished and spoke about often, Kirkpatrick said.

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