Melanie Beth Gregory

Melanie Beth (Folkman) Gregory passed away at the Denver Hospice Inpatient Care Center Thursday, August 8th after a 16-month battle with cancer. She is survived by husband Bill Gregory and son Brian Martin both of Denver. Melanie was born August 6, 1945 in Elgin, Illinois where she graduated from high school in 1963. She attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb; in 1967 she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in German. Following college, she moved to Columbia, South Carolina where she worked as a Program Director for the YWCA, a Real Estate Broker, and owned a Pepperidge Farms cookies and crackers franchise. There she met and married Joe Martin in November 1967 and had son Brian in 1973; in 1974 she and Joe divorced. In 1979 she met Bill Gregory and in 1980 they married. In 1988 Melanie, Bill, and Brian moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where Melanie entered the University of New Mexico, graduating in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts in Degree in Criminal Justice. In late 1990, the family moved to Denver, Colorado where Melanie took a position as Programs Supervisor at the Adams County Sherriff's Office Detention Facility. A year later she was promoted to Technical Services Manager at the Facility with responsibility for five major units – Programs, Medical Services, Food Services, Records, and Court Services. She held this position until her retirement in December 2010. Although her Technical Services Manager position was civilian, Melanie took the 484-hour Colorado POST accredited law enforcement training to became a commissioned Reserve Deputy Sherriff. Also during this time, she tested for and became one of the first 156 Certified Jail Managers in the USA, was a Lead Auditor for the American Corrections Association's Jail Accreditation Program, and was president of the Colorado Jail Association. Melanie loved animals and travel. She and Bill were always members of the zoos where they lived and made sure to visit the zoos in the many cities to which they traveled. Of her trips to 80 countries throughout the world, her favorite was their 3-week African safari to South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, and Tanzania where she got up-close and personal with hundreds of animals in their native environment. A Memorial Service to celebrate Melanie's life will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, August 17th at St. Paul Lutheran Church located on the Northeast corner of Grant Street and East 16th Avenue in down town Denver. The service will be followed by a celebration BBQ lunch. Melanie asked that the service and lunch be casual and that in lieu of flowers a donation to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of choice be made.