Melinda Anne Bryden passed away suddenly on the evening of Monday, October 16, 2023, at Virginia Mason Hospital, Seattle, WA. We were completely unprepared for this unexpected loss and miss her greatly. She was a bright star in this often-difficult world and will be missed by so many friends and family members.
Melinda was born in Fort Devens, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Lee Roy Bryden of the U.S. Army and Elfriede Jendrossek. The family later moved to Virginia with stops in Alaska and Germany. After graduating high school in Virginia, she loaded her car with her possessions and her dog and drove to California. In San Francisco she enrolled in the university, while continuing to work and support herself.
Melinda graduated from San Francisco State University, Cum Laude, with a degree of Bachelor of Science Business Administration (Accounting), in 1983. Additionally, she received a Certified Public Accountant certification after passing the CPA exam on her first try. After graduating from the University, she accepted a position with a Seattle WA company, moving to the Northwest. While working a full schedule, she continued her education. She earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 1994. She later married Ron Hayes in Seattle in 1999. Melinda & Ron established their financial services and consulting business (Redfern Consultants, Inc.) and incorporated in 2001. They both enjoyed working together for many years and retired in 2012, when they decided to leave Seattle, which had become very busy and over-crowded. They purchased some acreage in Woodland Hills, south of the city of Port Townsend and built their home. They enjoyed many landscaping projects and Melinda was able to incorporate many of her ideas into the house.
She spent nearly thirty years as a CPA and a Securities Exchange Commission consultant. Creativity during those years was frowned upon…. So, when she retired 12 years ago, she began her artistic career in Port Townsend, WA by taking a 6-week class in welding from the Wooden Boat School. Her love of bright colors made her want to include glass and so her career began anew. She was very curious and. constantly looking for new mediums that could express what was in her imagination. Generally, she sourced her materials from garage sales although the glass came from Bullseye in Portland. She is currently represented in the Verksted Gallery in Poulsbo. She has also been represented in other Port Townsend galleries and in Twisp, WA. For the last 8-10 years she had been on the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour, Port Townsend Studio Tour, Sequim Lavender Festival, Edmonds Art Fair, Art in the Woods, and the Procrastinators’ Fair. She enjoyed these events because they allowed her to meet people and brainstorm new ideas. The 12 years she spent creating artwork was one of her greatest joys. Melinda loved and treasured her friends, most books, all dogs, and a nice glass of Chardonnay.
There will be a Celebration of Life on May 1, 2024, at the Port Townsend Yacht Club, 2503 Washington St., Port Townsend, WA, 1pm to 3pm. Please r.s.v.p. if you plan to attend this gathering and if you have some great photos or stories of Melinda, please include them with your response to: memoriesofmelinda@Gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to Planned Parenthood Federation of America or Northwest Harvest, Seattle, WA.
