Melissa Lou Robinson, age 71, passed away peacefully in Community Hospital of Anaconda early morning, March 14, 2024, with her family by her side.

Melissa was born in Conrad, MT on May 13, 1952, to Daniel and Betty Wittmier, along with her twin sister Melinda Sue.  Soon after the family moved to Shelby, MT, and then to Great Falls, MT.  In 1968, they moved to Anaconda, where she graduated from Anaconda High School in 1970.

On November 14, 1970, Melissa married her best friend and soul mate, Bill Robinson.  They made their home in Anaconda where they had two children, Joey and Seth.  Mom worked several places through the years such as Montana State Hospital, Dairy Queen, Granny’s, Copper Club, Osco Drug, and Calico & Company, all while helping dad at Butch’s 76 gas station and then his own business, Bill’s Auto Repair, which they started and ran together in the early 1980’s.  Her passion has always been to work with animals, and in the late 1980’s she began working at the Anaconda Veterinary Clinic, where she continued until a neck injury caused her to stop being able to work at all.  Even then, her love of animals continued, as she was always willing to foster – and more likely – adopt animals that otherwise wouldn’t have been given a chance.  Beyond her animals, her four grandsons were her pride and joy, and always tried to be at whatever events they had going on.  She loved watching them & would proudly tell anyone “that’s my grandson”.

Mom was always up for the next adventure, whether it was hiking and camping in the mountains, bowling, skiing, riding motorbikes, caring for and riding her horses, and one year, beating all the guys in a demolition derby.  Just tell her she couldn’t do something & it was her mission to prove you wrong!

Melissa is survived by her husband, Bill Robinson; daughter Joey (Steve) Blodnick; son Seth (Jennifer) Robinson; grandsons Christopher, Ty, Nathan, and Zachary; great-grandson William, brothers Danny Joe (Fay) Wittmier and Alan Wittmier, sisters Melinda (Larry) Hintz and Cindy Bailey; brother-in-law Roy (Revalie) Salyers, sister-in-law Sara Robinson; multiple nieces and nephews; and close friends Jane and John Newell.

Melissa was preceded in death by her parents Daniel and Betty Wittmier, mother-in-law Betty Salyers, brother-in-law Laroy Bailey, extended family Jim and Shirley Paddock, and close friends Linda McNeil and Janice Ewan.

In respect for mom’s wishes, the family will be having a memorial celebration later this summer.  Memorials can be made to the Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Deer Lodge County School Employees Federal Credit Union, PO Box 1248, Anaconda, MT  59711.

Mom, we will miss you terribly & “love you always and forever”.

Please visit the sidebar to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Melissa.

Longfellow Finnegan Riddle Funeral Home and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Melissa and her family.