Melody Ferneau, 66, of Montezuma passed away on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at Unity Point Grinnell Regional  Medical  Center in Grinnell, Iowa. Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 13, at 10:30 am at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma.  Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 12, beginning at noon with the family present from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma.  Burial will be held in the Little Mount Cemetery at Montezuma.  Memorials may be directed to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Holland-Coble Funeral Home of Montezuma is in charge of arrangements.

Melody Lynn Ferneau was born on June 2, 1955 to John Newburn and Conda Ashby in Des Moines, Iowa.  Melody attended and graduated from Montezuma Community School in 1973.  Melody and Marvin Ferneau were married on October 5, 1974 at the Little Mount Baptist Church in Montezuma.  They made their home in Montezuma and raised their family.  Melody home babysat while their children were growing up and then began working at the Montezuma Vet. Clinic for the next 16 years.  She then worked at Ponderosa Marina for two years and then began working at the  Poweshiek County Courthouse for 21 years retiring in 2020.  Most important in Melody's life was her family.  She and Marvin raised and fostered over 25 children throughout their lifetime.  Melody loved to read, play phone games, watch movies, collect elephant and dreamsicle  figurines, antique shopping and decorating her home.  She was a member of the Montezuma First Presbyterian Evangelical Church and a former board member of the Iowa Foster Adoptive Board.

Melody is preceded in death by her brother, John Jay Newburn; step-dad, Lorraine Hawkins;  mother-in-law, Ruth Ramsey; and  father-in-law, Marvin Ferneau Sr.

Melody is survived by her loving  husband, Marvin Ferneau;  her mother, Conda Hawkins;  her daughters, Melissa (Kit Ricardo)  Ferneau of Des Moines, Christine (Norris Hildreth) Warfield of Des Moines, Niesha (Tom Heithoff)) Pedelty of Carroll, Kelley Ferneau of Ames, Alexis Ferneau of Montezuma; special bonus daughter, Megan (Joshua) Overton of Indianola; 14 grandchildren and siblings, Karen (David) Feder of St. Petersburg, FL, Ron (Julie) Newburn of Oxnard, CA, Becky (Tom Lally) Stone of Mountain Home, AR, Mary (Bill) Townsend of Clarksville, AR; brother-in-law, Joe Ferneau and sisters-in-law Nan Williams and  Twyla Law; and many other nieces, nephews, friends and foster children.