Melanie J France, age 61, peacefully ended her brief journey with ALS on September 14 ^th , 2022, at home surrounded by family. She was born on August 30 ^th , 1961 to Robert and Phyllis (Ewers) France and grew up in the Sauk-Prairie area, where she attended school. She continued her education at MATC, obtaining a degree in insurance. Melanie recently celebrated her 40-year career as a Pension Specialist with CUNA Mutual Group.

Melanie had a passion for horses, won numerous barrel racing competitions, and owned several horses throughout the years. She was especially skilled at spook training her horses and could be seen running around with rubber chickens, plastic bags, and anything else that made obnoxious noises to ensure her horses were safe to ride with predictable reactions in unexpected situations.

Cooking and baking played an important role in Melanie's life. She hosted cookie bakes at holidays for friends and family and cooking competitions with neighbors. On Facebook, she constantly blew up friends' feeds with her humorous live cooking shows.

Melanie raised two daughters, who inherited her spunky attitude and love for adventure. As a parent, she was known for her "girl power" days, when she would take the girls out of school to spend time enjoying fun activities.

Melanie was united in marriage to her soulmate Jerry Vollbrecht on May 17 ^th , 2013. Together they built their small farmette with spoiled pet chickens and a few horses. They discovered a mutual passion for UTVing and became members of the Baraboo Bluffs UTV Club and the Honey Creek UTV Club. Melanie dedicated herself to following her intuition, writing books, and running her Etsy shop.

She is survived by her loving husband, Jerry; daughters Darcy (Austin) Edmunds and Kari (Orlando) Cantu; mother, Phyllis France; sisters, Mary (Gary) Smith, Laurie (Bill) Dummer, and Debra (Ken) Rosen; brothers, Rob (Maria) France and Greg France; and her pets, 22 chickens and beloved dog Mandy.

She was preceded in death by her father, Robert J. France Sr. and her horse of 29 years, Smokey.

We will rejoice in a celebration of life Sunday, November 6 ^th , 2022 at the Merrimac Conservation Club from noon to 3p.m.

Melanie's family would like to thank Moments Hospice for their kind, compassionate care and willingness to pursue her wishes, Hooverson Funeral Home for their comfort in making arrangements, and her friends, who offered her joy during her life and support during her illness.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the ALS Association – Wisconsin Chapter so we can find a cure for this cruel disease.