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1956                        <FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Helvetica,Arial,Swiss">
MELANIE BRICKELL
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<BR><I>"..... his lover,  wife,  soul-mate,  and best friend"</I>
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<TD>Travel</TD>
<TD>Mel&Peter</TD>
<TD>Wedding</TD>
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<TD>Portrait</TD>
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Melanie Rose-Marie D'Aloisio was born on June 6, 1956 in Toronto. Her only sibling, Dale, is two years younger than her. She enjoyed Dale's companionship and loved to take care of her. Mel was a very generous and loving person who cherished her friends and most of all, her little sister. The date of a special occasion was never forgotten, whether it was for her husband, parents, grandparents, sister or her friends. Her concern and caring for others was a model for us all.
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It was in public school that Melanie decided that she would become a teacher. She later attended Midland High School, where she was awarded the school's top mark in French and subsequently placed in an accelerated class. After leaving school and working for some time, she enrolled at the University of Toronto and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics in 1987. During that time she took additional university credits in Sienna, Italy.
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As a devoted student of the Bonnie Stern School of Cooking, she tempted us with many delicious desserts and specialities. Her double chocolate cakes and lemon meringue pies were truly mouth watering!
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In the past three years, Melanie finally realised her lifelong goal of becoming a teacher. In June of 1996 she packed her bags and bravely travelled to rural South Korea to become the only western woman in a town of 40,000 people, of whom perhaps less than a dozen could speak English. She changed that forever. She not only taught 1100 high school students English every week but also shared her generosity and love with the all the souls of a small town in a land far, far away. She will never be forgotten in Yongdong.
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While abroad she married her long time love Peter on the Pacific island of Rarotonga on January 10, 1997. They maintained their love and devotion across the miles for two years to allow her to pursue her passion of teaching.
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While still in Korea she embraced all facets of the Eastern way of life including the art of Kouksundo, a discipline of meditation and exercise. Before leaving Korea for the last time Master Kim, her instructor and good friend, awarded her the only red belt earned there by a non-Korean. She had hoped one day to teach Kouksundo here in Canada, as it had helped her so much spiritually and physically while overseas. She wanted to share that gift with us.
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After returning to Toronto in June of 1998, she built her career teaching English as a Second Language in her home town. In Canada as in Korea, Melanie was admired and cherished by her students and colleagues alike.
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Her battle with pancreatic cancer lasted only 6 weeks, during which time she displayed immense bravery and determination. She wanted only to spend her final weeks seeing friends and family and did just that. Fittingly, her last act was to help out our family with baby-sitting less than two weeks before she died. On September 14, she passed away quietly in her husband Peter's arms as had been both their wish. In doing so, she released us all to move forward, while at the same time pressing a very special piece of her heart into our palms.
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May she rest forever in peace.
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