Melinda Works Dark, 58, died Thursday, July 1, 2010, after a courageous five-year battle with ovarian cancer. Funeral: 10 a.m. Tuesday at D.W. Newcomer's Johnson County Funeral Chapel, 11200 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kan. Interment: Johnson County Memorial Gardens. Memorials: The family is grateful to the staff of Kansas City Hospice for their gentle care and support during Melinda's last days. The family suggests memorial contributions to Kansas City Hospice, www.kansascityhospice.org, 12000 Wornall Road, Kansas City, Mo. 64145; or The Vickie Welsh Fund, www.thevickiwelshfund.org. Melinda was born Dec. 23, 1951, in Fort Worth to Wesley Works Jr. and Katherine Hutchins Works. Melinda was a fifth-generation Texan and lived her entire life in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Denton area until 2007, when she and her husband moved to Overland Park, Kan. Melinda attended W.T. White High School in Dallas and North Texas State (now the University of North Texas), graduating in 1973 with a degree in education. She did not pursue a career in education, however, choosing instead to work in various manufacturing support and financial positions with Jostens in Denton, Texas Instruments in Lewisville and Raytheon in Plano. Melinda retired as a financial analyst with Raytheon in December 2006. Melinda was a good listener and a loyal friend. She was a longtime fan of the Dallas sports teams: the Cowboys, Mavericks and Stars. Melinda was preceded in death by her parents and her only sister, Janis Works Williams, who passed away in February. Survivors: Husband, Michael Dark of Overland Park, Kan.; aunt, Frances Smith of Fort Worth; first cousins, Mary Frances Longeway of Fort Worth and Earl Smith Jr. of Amarillo; six sisters-in-law; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
Published in Star-Telegram on July 3, 2010