Mellisa Girlinghouse was a daughter of Matthew Joshua Girlinghouse and Amret (Bass) Girlinghouse. Her paternal grandparents were Christian Henry Girlinghouse Sr. and Joanna (Croom) Girlinghouse, and her maternal grandparents were Esaw Bass and Margaret (McCarty) Bass. Both of her grandfathers fought in the Civil War and met each other at the Battle of Vicksburg. Mellisa was the fourth of thirteen children. Her name was originally Molisia, named after a Choctaw Native American friend of the family, but everyone called her "Mallisie."

At the age of 15 (nearly 16) on 4 Sept. 1907, Mellisa married Leonard Stephen Frazier, son of Stephen Frazier. Leonard was a red-haired lumberjack. They had two children together: Bessie Frazier & Lillye ("Lill") Frazier. Three months before Lillye was born in 1910, Leonard was killed by a falling tree in Pollock, Louisiana.

Within about a year Mellisa and her two daughters moved south to Sulphur, Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana to live with her sister, Carrie (Girlinghouse) Brannon and her family. There she met Lazime Daigle, son of Joseph Lusignon Daigle & Mary "Aurelia" (LeBoeuf) Daigle.

Lazime Daigle & Mellisa (Girlinghouse) Frazier were married on 25 July 1912 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Mellisa and Lazime had three children together, the first being Elvin Joseph Daigle, born on 15 Jan. 1916 in Sulphur. Nine years later Mellisa gave birth to Helen Amret Daigle, and ten years later to Barbara Ann Daigle.

Lazime died of tuberculosis in December of 1940, leaving Mellisa widowed once again. A couple of years later Mellisa and Burke Broussard, a long-time friend of the family, began courting. Burke kept pursing her, asking her to marry him, and she finally consented to marry him on her next birthday. Before she knew it, September 15th came and the two were married. The year was 1943 and it was her 52nd birthday.

By this time Barbara was the only child still at home, and she and Mellisa moved out in the country with Burke. They lived south of Sulphur in a humble abode. Mellisa and Barbara were unhappy living with Burke out in the country, so Mellisa left him, but they never divorced.

Mellisa and Barbara moved into a little house at 815 South Crocker Street in Sulphur, a house that Burke provided for them. Mellisa lived there the remainder of her life.

Besides being a hard-working homemaker, Mellisa was also a midwife, helping to deliver many babies throughout Sulphur and that region. She also excelled at childcare, babysitting many of the neighborhood children. Her trademark, hard back-patting, which she termed "love pats," lulled many babies to sleep in her arms. Mellisa was loved and highly respected in and around Sulphur. Mellisa also held a job as a cook in the Sulphur grade school, feeding many children over the years.

Mellisa was a fun lady, outgoing and full of life, with a good sense of humor. She loved to laugh.

Mellisa committed her life to Jesus Christ at a young age in the Baptist church in Nebo, Louisiana. In Sulphur she and her children faithfully attended First Baptist Church for many years.

Mellisa lived to the ripe old age of 88, dying on her birthday, September 15, 1979 in her home. Many of her relatives and friends had stopped by her house to visit her on her birthday and after they left that afternoon she laid down to take a nap and died in her sleep.

September 15th was certainly significant in Mellisa's life, for she was born, married and died on that very date.

Visit the Girlinghouse family website at: http://girlinghouse.familybranch.us.