skippy the bush kangaroo

Friday, July 11, 2008

rip blogger melanie mattson

it is with great heaviness of the heart that we must report the death of a fellow blogger, melanie mattson of just a bump in the beltway.

kevin hayden of american street tells us

though the early indications suggest she died of a heart attack on june 26th, i believe they’ll report that “she died at home after an extended illness” and leave it at that, as she had been struggling with pancreatitis at the time of her death. and was asthmatic, to boot.
unfortunately the original site for just a bump in the beltway has fallen into disuse, but melanie continued to blog at bump in the beltway over at evolving earth.

skippy had quoted just a bump in the beltway often, it saddens us a great deal to know melanie's voice will no longer be heard.

susie madrak, of suburban guerilla, who knew melanie personally, tells us

my friend melanie mattson died a few weeks ago. one week from today is her birthday and she would have been 54. (i’ll have a piece of cake for you, mel.)

an original daily kos regular, she was the publisher of just a bump in the beltway, one of the first wave of political blogs. she was also one of the founders of the fluwiki, a comprehensive resource for those studying pandemic flu, and a contributor at effect measure.

she was a former symphony musician (she played the bassoon), teacher and theologian, a gourmet cook and cat lover, and yet another of the millions of americans without health care.

we don’t know yet which of her conditions killed her, but it’s a pretty safe bet that consistent health care could have very likely prevented or at least delayed her death.
sounds like the sort of thing that happened to steve gilliard and jim capozzola.

other remberances can be found at

effect measure.

peace, order and good government, eh?

suburban guerilla

american street

avian flu diary

the flu wiki forum

the last two sites are dedicated to spreading knowledge about the flu, a project melanie was heavily involved with in the last few years.

rest in peace, melanie.

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posted by skippy at 12:10 AM |

5 Comments:

Where do blog posts go when someone dies? We need to figure out how to archive non-blogspot sites...
commented by Anonymous Susie Madrak, 7:13 AM PDT  
usually, at least in the case of jim, steve and aaron, a loved one writes a final post and keeps paying the server company.

i'll add melanie's blog to the "rest in peace" section on my blogroll.
commented by Blogger skippy, 8:52 AM PDT  
Melanie was very kind to me when I first piped up at pogge's place, and I used to love Bump, early in the mornings especially. I mean, I get up by 5 a.m. latest, but Melanie was already ahead of me and had already ripped through the NYT and WaPo and anyone else who needed a talking-to.

And the recipes -- we must remember what a talented cook and gourmet she was, the wonderful spreads she would set out for us, which takes both learning and love.

Melanie was a true friend and a great support for me, and I am devastated to know that we can't talk to her any longer.
commented by Blogger skdadl, 9:49 AM PDT  
Condolences to her friends and family.
commented by Blogger Batocchio, 10:02 AM PDT  
I was privileged to be a guest blogger @ Just A Bump for a time. Melanie was always a gracious & encouraging blog hostess. I am deeply saddened by her passing. Peace be with you, Melanie.
commented by Anonymous wayne, 4:19 PM PDT  

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