Melissa Rose McCalla

Melissa Rose McCalla was born as Melbourne Wallace McCalla on June 6, 1999. She was so excited to live life that she was born 5 weeks early and embraced her journey from that day forward. Her first words were “GO, GO, GO!” as we pulled out of the driveway. She had a beautiful, loving heart and insatiable curiosity that fed her fantastic intelligence. She was a creative thinker who colored outside the lines and lived outside the box. Melissa was a voracious reader, and the internet fed her insatiable quest for knowledge. In elementary school, she discovered her love for choir and musical theater. She also loved science and flooded the cafeteria with her hydroelectric generator. In middle school, she couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t allow her to build a Tesla coil in the garage. There was never enough duct tape or PVC pipes for her innovations. Her attention shifted with equal passion from one hobby to another. There was nothing she couldn’t master. She was an enthusiastic skier and hiker, always insisting that we do the hardest trail. Her encouragement led us places we would never think of going, and the future adventures will be sorely missed. She graduated from Palo Alto Prep High School and traveled on their annual international adventures which fueled her love for travel. She enrolled at University of Oregon to study computer science and mathematics. This is where she found her people and fell in love with Emma Peara. They were perfectly matched and enjoyed baking, rock climbing, hiking, traveling, backpacking, and bird watching. In 2022, Melissa came out as transgender and blossomed into her newfound identity. She filed for a legal name change that took effect eleven days after her passing. Melissa’s vibrant life was cut short on a clear sunny day in Oregon on February 25th, 2023. Melissa, Emma, and another friend were en route to go birdwatching when they had a car accident that killed Melissa instantly at the age of 23. The world has lost a radiant heart and soul. Melissa was just beginning to find a new shine. A great thinker with a loving heart, she left an impression on anyone who met her. Her potential was endless, and surely would have come up with brilliant solutions to solve some of our world’s problems. She had big dreams and plans to put them in place. She will be forever missed. Melissa is survived by her heartbroken parents, Becky Wallin, and Randy McCalla, as well as her sibling Roux Lucien de Rolo. She has an extensive family who love her dearly and mourn her passing. Her partner, Emma Peara, is deeply grieving the loss of her soulmate. Melissa will always be loved and remain in our hearts forever. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 29th at 2 pm Skyland Church 25100 Skyland Road, Los Gatos 95033 Carpool please, parking is limited Reception with light meal to follow Please wear floral print dresses or blue shirts in remembrance of Melissa In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following charities in Melissa’s honor (please mention Melissa Rose McCalla when donating) Cascades Raptor Center Cascadesraptorcenter.org PO Box 5386 Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 485-1320 Cascades Raptor Center is a Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital in Eugene, OR. Through wildlife rehabilitation and public education, the Raptor Center fosters a connection between people and birds of prey. Their goal is to help the human part of the natural community learn to value, understand, and preserve wildlife. Trans Lifeline TransLifeline.org 548 Market St., PMB 15337 San Francisco, CA 94104 Please write “for gender-affirming hair removal microgrants” in memo line Trans Lifeline is a grassroots hotline, advocacy, and microgrants 501(c)(3) organization offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis– for the trans community, by the trans community. Trans Lifeline’s Microgrants program provides trans and nonbinary people with low-barrier funds and support to correct names and gender markers on identifying legal documents, to supply necessities for our trans siblings behind bars, and to supplement costs for gender affirming healthcare. The top health care procedure desired by 90% of trans women and transfeminine people is permanent hair removal. However, less than 5% of insurance providers cover this procedure even though studies show that gender-affirming hair removal reduces severe psychological distress by 38% and suicidal ideation by 28%. Facial and body hair can be significant sources of dysphoria and can increase the likelihood that a trans person will become a target of street harassment and violence. Yet, electrolysis, laser hair removal, and other permanent hair removal can cost thousands of dollars, which can be prohibitively expensive for transfeminine folks. Providing material support to help trans people receive permanent hair removal can decrease gender dysphoria and improve positive outcomes for those targeted by transmisogyny. Our gender affirming hair removal program distributes about $1,500 directly to 70 trans people each year for gender-affirming permanent hair removal. To give online to this program in honor of Melissa Rose McCalla scan this QR codes and be sure to select Microgrants from the drop-down menu under “What would you like your donation to support?”

Tributes

Melissa Rose McCalla

June 6, 1999 - February 25, 2023