Melissa Reynolds, 42, of Springfield

A private Celebration of Melissa's Life will be held Monday, November 15, 2021 at the Peters Funeral Chapel in Springfield.

It is with profound sadness that the family of Melissa (Holtquist) Reynolds announce her tragic passing on November 7, 2021 at the young age of 42.

Melissa will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 17 years Julius; children: Kailee (Roberto) and Jordan; granddaughter, Aniyah; parents, Bruce and Janet; sisters: Leilani (Kevin) and Jeni (Andrew); nephew, Brendan; nieces: Makenzie and Charlotte; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Melissa was born September 14, 1979 in Sioux Falls, SD. She spent a lot of her childhood years on her grandparents farm in Springfield, SD helping her grandpa with chores and making burnt bacon in the morning, playing with her cousins, splashing around in the river or sprinkler, playing records and fighting with her sister about who got to sleep in grandmas bed and always running a muk. With Miss, if it involved snakes, mud or something that might get her in trouble, then she was usually involved. When Melissa was 8 years old her parents and sisters moved to Michigan, where she remained until her move back to South Dakota in 2017. Being new, in a completely different setting than Michigan, she ended up gaining an entire new work family at Rush-Co in Springfield, where she of course excelled and I'm sure could be a small handful at times.

Melissa was a dedicated daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother and grandmother first and foremost. She treasured her family and especially loved her role as "Mimi" to her granddaughter Aniyah.

Melissa had a vivacious, larger than life personality and was ALWAYS the life of the party. Her voice could carry though rooms full of people and could always be heard no matter where she was at, so she was always easy to find. She had a knack for making light of bad situations when necessary and could always make people laugh. It was never hard for her to make friends wherever she went to, half the time, people would flock to her because of her infectious personality.

Her ability to get around a kitchen, grill or smoker was hands down some of the best cooking you would eat. There was not a time where she did not put her whole heart into making something for her family or friends to enjoy. Besides cooking, Miss enjoyed being around her family and friends laughing, always joking around, gardening, canning different things or just having a beer or two. And if the sun was out and shining, you could always find her soaking up the rays.

Melissa left permanent footprints on so many people's hearts! Her presence in our lives will be sorely missed!