Lucy Rygas Melzer

Lucy Olga Rygas Melzer, 90, of McPherson, passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 6, 2013, at The Cedars, McPherson.

She was born on May 22, 1923, in Kiev, Ukraine, the daughter of Gregory and Lubow Karpenko.

Lucy was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church and belonged to a Polka Club. She enjoyed music and loved her flowers. She tended to her beautiful rose gardens, being blessed with a green thumb. Her travels all over the United States, Hawaii, and Australia are documented in her immense collection of photo albums, along with the many pictures of her family. Her children and grandchildren were extra special to her, and she loved them dearly.

Survivors include: son, Alex Rygas and wife, Dana Bower Rygas, of Pulaski, Virginia; daughters, Emilia "Amy" Rygas Kimmel of Clayton, North Carolina and Yolande Rygas Deck and husband, Lyle, of Denton, Texas; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Vitali Karpenko, and children's father, Stefan Rygas.

The funeral service will be at 11:00 AM, Thursday, October 10, 2013, at Stockham Family Funeral Home. Burial will follow at McPherson Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 3:00 to 7:00 PM, Wednesday, at Stockham Family Funeral Home with family receiving friends from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.

Memorial donations may be given to the American Cancer Society, The Cedars, or the McPherson Opera House in care of Stockham Family Funeral Home, 205 North Chestnut, McPherson, KS 67460. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lucy Rygas Melzer please visit our Sympathy Store.