April 16, 1975 - June 8, 2024

Melissa Lynn Brinkmann, 49, of Parker, Colorado, passed away on June 8, 2024 due to injuries sustained in a small plane crash in Arvada, Colorado on June 7, 2024. Melissa (or “Missy” to her family) lived more in her 49 years than most of us could aspire to do in multiple lifetimes.

Melissa was born on April 16, 1975 to John and Terri (née Wilson) Brinkmann, Jr. in Madrid, Spain, where her dad John was stationed as an Air Force officer at Torrejón Air Base. Early life took her from Spain, to Texas and Virginia, and in 1988, to Japan, where her father was an Attaché in the U.S. Embassy, Tokyo. After graduating from high school at the American School in Japan (ASIJ), Melissa went on to study Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia (UVA), where she also received an Air Force ROTC scholarship. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from UVA and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Air Force in 1997, going on to serve in the Air Force until 2001, with posts to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas; Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico; and as Operations Officer for the 313th U.S. Air Force Recruiting Squadron in Syracuse, New York. Her commanding officer at the latter post still remembers how, as a young and inexperienced officer, small in stature, she quickly gained the respect of the older, seasoned troops under her command – despite some of them quite literally towering over her. Her leadership was a rare blend of grit and confidence, but also a way of talking to people, a unique personality that made people trust her authority. Among the honors she achieved while on active duty were the Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; and Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. While serving in the Air Force, Melissa also earned a Masters Degree in Education and Business from Wayland Baptist University. Melissa separated honorably from Air Force active duty in 2001, kicking off a highly successful career in the private sector – beginning as a Six Sigma Black Belt at General Electric and then as a Senior Vice President at Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina. Melissa’s career moved her to the Denver, Colorado area that would remain her home for the rest of her life in 2007. There, she rose to be Vice President of Strategy and Consulting at Anthem (formerly Wellpoint) and finally as a Healthcare Managing Director and Account Executive at Accenture. Over the course of her career, Melissa became an exceptionally impactful leader, energizing visionary, changemaker, transformative mentor, and all-over dynamo, tremendously respected for her resourcefulness, drive, thoughtfulness, intelligence, and enthusiasm.

Melissa believed in service, empowering others, and in giving back. In addition to her military service, she served as an Executive Board Member for the American Heart Association-Denver, as a youth mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, as a professional and personal mentor to countless others, and was slated to soon join the board of Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain. Melissa was an active supporter of veterans’, women’s and children’s causes. She was a keynote speaker for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on the seventy-fifth anniversary celebration of the GI Bill, and left substantial legacies to the Wounded Warrior Project and her beloved alma mater, UVA. She was a natural-born coach and athlete. Her high school gymnastics, swimming, basketball, soccer and tennis skills are still legendary, but she also had a special knack for teamwork, leadership, and coaching others in sports, particularly kids. Melissa was competitive in the best sense of the word – striving and achieving greatly, and motivating others to do the same. She was proud to have recently hiked a 14er in Colorado with her family – everyone, even kids, making it to the top.

Melissa loved travel, and travel she did! She crossed the globe many dozens of times over and left passports full of stamps from every corner of the world. She was brave and loved adventure: whitewater rafting Class 5 rapids on the Zambezi River below Victoria Falls; hiking the wilds of Patagonia; cliff-jumping in Zambia; ziplining in Costa Rica. She never tired of trips to Napa Valley, fine wine, and lots of sushi with good friends.

Above all else, Melissa loved her family. She loved them actively, completely, and freely. Melissa became a mother in 2008, and was a “boy mom” through and through to her three amazing boys. She worked hard to ensure they were given every opportunity in life, and that they were strong and resilient like their mom. She was a huge supporter of their sports, and at their games she was always the loudest one in the stands. Her dream for her boys was, and remains, that they find their own path of joy, and that they have the tools, confidence, and opportunity to follow that path no matter what. Melissa was a proud aunt, the best big sister, and the truest friend. She was proud of her family that came before her, too, and drew inspiration from her mother’s free spirit, her father’s devotion, and her trailblazing grandfather John Brinkmann, Sr., who came from a small village in Wisconsin to become the Chief of Photography at NASA during the golden ages of the space program and lunar missions. Melissa had an incredible talent for seeing the best in others – their unique gifts and what they have to offer the world – and inspiring them to be their best and most authentic selves. People who came into her orbit were inevitably lifted up by her influence.

Melissa is survived by her three brave and beautiful children Jackson, Colton, and Gage; her proud and loving parents, John & Terri Brinkmann, Jr.; her three “little” sisters Jessica Brinkmann (Ric Ramirez), Vanessa Brinkmann (Stephen Brown) and Samantha (Keith) Kritzberg; eight adoring nieces and nephews (Brody, Cole, Augie, Anna, Noelle, Helen, Johnny & Molly); and a legion of friends who were to her a second family.

Melissa’s legacy is profound. Perhaps most notable of all is this: Missy savored life. She relished its adventure. She experienced the highs and lows of life fully, and her challenges made her stronger, more confident, more grateful, and ever more powerful and empowering. Her family is comforted by knowing that she left nothing on the table; indeed, if life is a sport, in true form, she aced it. She played big and had fun. She would want all of us to do the same.

A celebration of life will be held in Parker, Colorado on July 27th, with further details to come. In the meantime, if you feel so inspired, we welcome you to help us honor her legacy by sharing your own memories of Melissa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the American Heart Association-Denver, Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain, the Susan G. Komen Foundation, or the Wounded Warrior Project.