Melanie Rae Steele

Marietta,

Melanie Rae Steele was born to Christopher Steele and Julia Tinker Johnson on January 31, 1995 in Marietta, Georgia.  Melanie lived a short life, she was murdered in Savannah on Friday September 13, 2019. Mel was missing from September 13, 2019, until she was located on March 19, 2020.  From that time, it took until February 19, 2021 to get her remains from Quantico, Virginia back to the GBI Laboratory in Savannah.  The night she was taken from us, she sent a text message stating "I love you mommy, would you please kiss my baby boy for me"?

She is preceded in death by her Uncle Steven Jay Steele who loved her more than words can describe. She loved him the same. Steve called her Mel-Mel. Then we all started Calling her Mel or Mel Mel.

She is survived by her four year old son Michael “Mikey” Steele who was the love of Melanie's life,  mother Julia Johnson, her father Christopher and Mallory Steele, brothers, Anthony Scott Johnson and Seth Creech, sister, Emily Steele., maternal Grandparents Richard and Judy Tinker, paternal Grandparents, Rick and Ann Sullivan, Uncle Ricky and Aunt Carmen Tinker, Uncle Greg and Aunt Laura Christophers, cousins Halie, Trey (who we call Mikey, Trey after this upstanding young man) Kinsley, Kaleigh and Nir Levy, Kassidy and Austin Allen.

Melanie and her (maternal) grandfather had a special relationship full of laughter and love, her grandfather was there for her without fail. Mel made her (paternal) grandmother, Ann, the "NANA" she is today. Melanie was Ann's first grandchild and they had an enormous bond.  Mel made "NANA" a great "NANA" with our Mikey.  They had many first together.

We will have a celebration of life at 11:00am on Saturday March 20, 2021 at Lifes Hope Baptist Church 3360 Hicks Road Marietta, Ga 30060. We will Pray and we will talk and tell stories about Melanie. We will sing the songs Melanie loved. It is my hope the people who knew Melanie when she was a youth to adulthood would come and share a memory with us.

Low Country cremation and Burial is serving the Steele Family.