Perry Hall native dies in Bellefonte, PA

Melady Kehm, a longtime resident of Bellefonte, died at her home on May 20. She was 78. Melady fell in her bedroom on April 11 and suffered a series of harrowing medical misadventures during the remaining five and a half weeks of her life. Happily, her preceding 4,081 weeks were full of love, joy, and service. She is survived by her nieces, Sherri Schott, Denise Logsdon, Kathy Heavner, and Laura Lipinski; her cats Amber and Stella; and her consort of the past decade, Joseph Griffin.

From her high school days to her untimely end, Melady marched to the beat of a different drummer. She started life in Perry Hall, MD and, as a student, penned the original alma mater of Overlea High School. A talented writer, she studied journalism at Western Maryland College. After graduating, she married Walter Klausmeier and accompanied him to Japan, where he served in the Navy. There, she worked at The Seahawk, the newspaper for the 7th Fleet. The flight to Japan so terrified her that she refused to fly again. When Walter finished his tour of duty, she made her way back to Baltimore via a series of ships, including oil tankers, followed by a train ride across America. The couple eventually settled in Bellefonte where Melady joined and soon became president of the newly formed Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association. With a handful of other civic-minded souls, Melady helped shape the cultural renaissance Bellefonte experienced in the 1970’s and 80’s. With her friend, Bonnie Leathers, she launched Summer Sounds from the Gazebo, a concert series still going strong in its 44th season.

As much as she loved her new hometown, Melady dreaded Pennsylvania winters. She valued warmth and hated cold. After visiting her parents who had moved to Florida, Melady became a snowbird. She created a Florida room in her Curtin Street house to help fight her seasonal blues and made frequent trips to Florida during the dreary winter months.

Melady was a good-hearted, warm, romantic soul, but ill-suited to domestic life. She had little interest in homemaking. She preferred to sing, dance, drink, and write. Moreover, she adored men. It was perhaps inevitable that when she met a remarkable neighbor who was also renewing Bellefonte, her life took a major turn. He was Rob Gannon, a professor, writer, adventurer, and a wonderful dancer. Melady, who never surrendered to propriety, fell in love. She left her husband and their comfortable home and bought a tiny house on Ridge Street. There, Melady and Rob cohabited until they were married in a peculiarly appropriate ceremony. The venue was a meeting of the Bellefonte Historical and Cultural Association and the officiant was the President Judge of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas.

Rob, always active in his community, served on the Board of the Bellefonte Cemetery Association, which owns and manages the historic Union Cemetery. Perennially short on funds, the Association had allowed its 19th-century Gatehouse, dramatically framing the entrance to the cemetery, to become vacant and derelict. Rob and Melady purchased the dilapidated building nestled among tombstones for their new home. After Rob meticulously restored the exterior and renovated the interior, Melady, whose birthday falls on Halloween, moved into the graveyard with her new husband. She remained there for the rest of her life, almost four decades. She became a guardian of the deceased, calling the police, night or day, whenever she spied inappropriate activity in her unusual backyard. The restored Gatehouse is now a Bellefonte icon, featured on calendars and walking tours.

After Rob retired from Penn State, the couple bought a modest house on Pine Island, FL and began wintering there. The part of the house they loved best was the wood floor in the living room – perfect for dancing. They made friends with some locals and started visiting dance studios in Naples and Fort Myers. Everyone admired how Rob would sweep Melady across the floor as they waltzed. Later, the group became passionate about tango. After Rob died in 2003, Melady sold the Pine Island house but continued to visit the area each winter, always looking for a tango partner.

Each year, she rented the same tiny apartment (she called it the shoebox) on the bay in the small village of Matlacha. Anna Demeo, the realtor who sold Melady and Rob their Pine Island house, became her close friend. The two spent lots of time together and frequently visited Bert’s Bar in the village, where there was music almost every night. Deb and the Dynamics, a blues/rock band, played Thursdays and often invited Melady to sing. She delivered! Ralphie, Motel Tom, Trailer Trash Barbie, and the other regulars would crowd onto the tiny dance floor and always give her a rowdy round of applause.

Melady was different. She traveled off the beaten path, broke lots of rules, and maybe a few hearts along the way. She wrote lucid prose, loved every dog and baby she met, drank too much wine, danced like a butterfly, and sang like a hot momma from the wrong side of the tracks. She worked for decades to make Bellefonte better. She was always late. Despite a fierce temper, she valued niceness above all virtues. She was a hoarder, a helper, and a hollerer. She was generous to a fault. Mostly, Melady was lovable and unforgettable.

Over her last four years, a slowly developing dementia clouded Melady’s mind, but it could never dim her spirit. When she could no longer drive around town, she walked around town. Sometimes, she didn’t recognize friends who greeted her on the sidewalk, but she was always happy to see them. She kept smiling at babies and petting random dogs. She loved the full moon with all her heart whenever she saw it. One thing that never diminished was the love Melady received from those who knew her.

Melady’s last breath was accompanied by a wide-eyed smile. Her journey was worth the trouble.