It is with immense sorrow that we announce the passing of our mother Patricia (Hibbs) Melko currently of Schererville, Indiana and formerly of Lansing, Illinois after a short illness. The last 17 months she battled her cancer with grace and determination while maintaining her quick-witted sense of humor, right until the very end. Her loving husband Mike Melko preceded her in death after 57 years of marriage and are once again reunited, finding comfort in each other’s presence. She was the heart and soul of our family, and will be profoundly missed by her children – Christine Melko (Christian) Ross, Sean Melko and Michael Melko, preceded in death, (Elizabeth Jenkins). She found great joy in her grandchildren, Tristan and Jordan Sarah, and cherished her new title of great-grandmother just weeks before her passing with the birth of William Alexander.  She is survived by her sister and friend Sharon (Hibbs) and Ernest “Skip” (preceded in death) Komorowski and brothers and sisters-in-law John and Linda (Doris) Hibbs and Michael and Pam (Pritchard) Hibbs as well as her brothers-in law Edward, Ron, Joe (Lana) Melko and sister-in-law Margie (Ron) Frass. She had many nieces and nephews who loved her very much. She had a tight-knit group of friends, mostly fellow teachers, whom she spoke with daily and treasured immensely.

Pat as she liked to be called was an extraordinary teacher who inspired hundreds of students since she first started teaching at St. Ann’s at the innocent age of 19. She has received numerous awards throughout her career for excellence in education. She loved teaching with all her heart and left lasting impressions on students without even knowing. To this day, she stayed in touch with many and any time she came across a student, she knew who they were and what kind of student they had been.  As one student wrote, I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing several wonderful teachers, but Mrs. Melko is definitely the one that stands out.”  She was involved in extracurricular actives with the students at St. Jude’s especially their plays which was a yearly highlight for both teachers and students. These plays inspired some to continue in drama long after grade school. In addition to being an amazing mother and teacher, she was a supportive and caring wife. They were inseparable and did everything together from volunteering at St. Ann’s and the Knights of Columbus to travelling North America including many trips to visit Chris and Christine and the kids in Canada to organizing golf tournaments to antiquing and wine tasting.  She was a mom to the neighborhood.  She was strong, independent, smart and funny.  She was carefree and engaging.  She painted her grandfather’s cottage and boat in Luddington, Michigan pink!  She was very knowledgeable and inclusive and strong at math and geography but hated to play board games!  She was humorous all the way to her passing.  We would like to take a moment to thank some very amazing people who helped our mom with her fight who she became very fond of – the Franciscan Home Health nurses and therapists (Paula, Jose and Sarah) as well as the ICU nursing teams at Franciscan Dyer Health who were beyond exemplary – twice!  These people are true heroes!

​In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting causes close to her heart, especially those dedicated to children—St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Ronald McDonald House at Comer Children’s Hospital.

Visitation will be on Thursday, August 7, 2025 from 3:00-7:00 pm at Kish Funeral Home, 10000 Calumet Ave. Munster, IN. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, August 8, 2025 at 10:00 am at All Souls Catholic Parish at St. Ann Church. 3010 Ridge Road Lansing, IL. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery, Glenwood, IL.

Patricia L. (Hibbs) Melko

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