Melanie Lasater Kunz

Melanie Lasater Kunz, 70, passed away peacefully at home in Nampa, Idaho, on May 13, 2026, after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born on January 11, 1956, at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, Melanie lived a life filled with creativity, faith, adventure, and love for others.

Raised in a military family, Melanie spent much of her childhood abroad and moving throughout the United States. The experiences and cultures she encountered shaped her lifelong love of music, art, and learning. She attended Brigham Young University and later the University of Great Falls, where she studied Communications.

While supporting her first husband through several Air Force assignments, Melanie devoted herself to raising her four children as a stay-at-home mother. She stayed actively involved in her church and community through volunteering, leading music, running 5Ks, and caring for neighbors and friends. Creative and entrepreneurial, she pursued sewing and crafting ventures before later working as a freelance newspaper writer and in marketing roles for Buttrey Food & Drug and Cellular One. Those experiences eventually led her to open her own cellular retail business, Blue Wire. Later in life, she and her husband, Brent, especially enjoyed traveling, hiking, and visiting family together.

Melanie was a gifted musician who composed music and played both the piano and organ. She loved singing, baking, painting, drawing, and writing poetry, and had a remarkable ability to create beauty and connection wherever she went. A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she found special joy in missionary work, music, and serving others.

More than anything, Melanie cherished being a mother and grandmother. She brought fun, creativity, encouragement, and adventure to the lives of her children and eighteen grandchildren. She will be remembered for the warmth she brought into every room, the music and art she shared, the stories she told, and the love she gave so freely.

Melanie is survived by her children, Jenny Anderson, Emily (KR) Kirkendall, Rachael (Eddie) Stewart, and Greg (Brittany) Wardle; her stepchildren, Katharine (Chris) Wilkinson, Marianne (Dicky) Shanor, and J. Brent Kunz; her mother, Marilyn Lasater; her sisters, Mary Lynn, Leslie, and Carolyn; her brother, Garth; and her 18 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father, John Lasater; her husband, Brent Kunz; and her grandson, Justus Kirkendall.

A public viewing will be held Tuesday, May 26, at 9:30 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7721 N. Badger Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming, followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mountain View Memorial Park Cemetery, 10701 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.