Funeral services for Melinda "Mela" Valdez, 67, of Irving will be 1:00 PM, Saturday, February 17, 2024, at the Colonial Funeral Home of Irving. The burial will be at the Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas, TX. Friends and family may visit Friday, February 16th from 5:00 pm till 8:00 pm and the Rosary will be recited at 6:00 PM in the funeral home. Mela was born October 30, 1956, in Dallas, TX and she passed away Saturday, February 3, 2024 in Plano, TX. She is preceded by mother & father, Inocencia Duarte Mendoza and Natalio Valdez, brother Joe M. Rodriguez She is survived by two sisters and two brothers Olivia (Lala) Cipriano, Merced (Pete) Rodriguez, Juan A. Valdez, Elida (Chevy) Valdez, and her constant, Dorothy Gonzalez. She has several nieces, nephews, godchildren cousins, aunts, uncles, extended family, and numerous friends. Mela, as she is known, was a very social person and never met a stranger, most became life-long friends. Mela was very generous, kind, funny, happy, dependable, strong, and very organized. Her father passed in 1966, Mela felt she had to be the responsible person for her mother the "love of her life." They loved each other immensely and when she passed away in 2010 Mela was heartbroken. Mela graduated from MacArthur High School Irving TX in 1976, went on to drafting school to become a draftsman. She worked last for Thomas Reprographics. Mela was part of the LGBTQ community and never changed her beliefs and proud of being who she was. Mela had a lot of adversity with her health and unfortunately developed Leukemia in 2011, she beat it, and received treatments for autoimmune deficiency at Parkland. She always recovered and never let that slow her down. Mela loved having a good time with friends and family, she was a regular at the Spirit Grill of Irving, but also spent time at Strokers, Liquid Zoo and Jugs. Mela was loved and known by many, was the happiest being with her friends & family drinking, watching the Dallas Cowboys and listening to Tejano music and dancing. Mela discovered she could carry a tune and loved Karaoke. Mela would talk to anyone, listen to their concerns, encourage them, and praise their accomplishments. Mela was a genuine person, easy to love, her smile was infectious, and even if you had just met her you would fall in love with her. We will miss her terribly, for she definitely made an impact on everyone she met. Link for the Visitation live Stream https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcwODAzOTc1NjI5NTkzMyZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw== Link for Service Live Stream https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTcwODAzOTg0MDI5NTkzNCZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw== Photo Album Visitation Friday, February 16, 2024 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Colonial Funeral Home of Irving Chapel 606 W. Airport Freeway Irving, TX 75062 Rosary Friday, February 16, 2024 6:00 PM Colonial Funeral Home of Irving 606 West Airport Freeway Irving, TX 75062 Funeral Service Saturday, February 17, 2024 1:00 PM Colonial Funeral Home of Irving 606 West Airport Freeway Irving, TX 75062