Melanie D. (Gorham) Reynoso
Services for Melanie D. (Gorham) Reynoso were held June 25, 2025, at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Mammoth. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated by Deacon Flavio. The Rosary and Mass were followed by interment at Valley View Cemetery and a luncheon at the Mammoth Community Center. There were many items of remembrance on display.
Melanie, who was a lifelong resident, passed away at her home in Mammoth on June 19, 2025.
Melanie Diane Gorham was born Sept. 23, 1958, at Tucson Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona. Lanie was the daughter of Jim and Carlene Gorham, who moved to Mammoth in 1955 when they married. Lanie’s older brother Mike, also a “total local” still lives in Mammoth, AZ and is married to Margret (Clark) Gorham. The Clark family is large and a “total Southwest ‘small-town’ unit.”
Lanie or Mel (two names to which she answered) spent her entire life as a Mammoth resident. She entered grade school in 1964 at Mammoth Elementary and upon 8th grade graduation (true with most Tri-Community students) entered her 9th grade education year at San Manuel High in San Manuel, AZ. After four years and her high-school graduation, she enrolled at Aravaipa Jr. College, located approximately 10 miles north of Mammoth. She graduated with honors in securing her two-year associates degree. Post completion of Aravaipa, she enrolled at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona in the year 1976. She completed two years at NAU. Lanie/Mel then moved back to Mammoth and married Joe Reynoso of the Reynoso family, another ‘lifetime’ Mammoth, AZ family. The couple had two children, Nicole (Reynoso) Gonzalez and Mark Reynoso.
Lanie worked at La Casita Cafe (the Reynoso family restaurant) continually, for almost all years prior to the beginning of her illness. In the interim of those many years, Lanie desired to become a massage therapist. She ‘checked it out’ and enrolled. She traveled to Apache Junction, AZ to attend sessions, training her as a degreed Arizona Board Certified massage therapist. After approximately 2 years, she secured an Arizona State Board certification and her licensure. At that time, she opened her privately owned massage therapy business located on Main St. in Mammoth while she concurrently worked as a waitress for the Reynoso’ family business, La Casita located on Highway 77 in Mammoth. She held a job at Mammoth Court House working for Pinal County as a clerk. Joe and Lanie’s two children are also lifetime ‘locals’, both born in Tucson. The completed their growth and schooling in the Tri-Community area. Their son, Mark married Melissa Lovio and claimed her son Pedro Gallegos as ‘his’ son. Mark and Melissa then gave birth to a son, Mark Jacob Reynoso. Mark died in year 2017.
Lanie and Joe’s daughter, Nicole married her husband Frank Gonzalez (another lifetime Mammoth family). Their daughter, LillyAnna also lives in Mammoth.
Lanie and Joe have three grandchildren. There were or are many grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and grandchildren on both sides of the Reynoso-Gorham union.
Melanie’s funeral services were magnificently attended. As in all small communities, everyone knows everyone or knows them all. Associations are formed from birth. Due to stick-to-it-(iveness) and the fact that almost no one leaves a small town, those associations continue most times into each and everyone’s ending. That would be a LIFETIME. Small towns are like that. The funeral was attended by as many as the church could hold plus overflow and more overflow. Some joined at the interment, some made it to the gathering for food which contained hundreds of mementos, pictures and memories of a truly small-town girl, better described as a very kind small-town girl.
Joe personally wishes to thank everyone. He was (and is) in awe of all the love, all the gifts, all the offers of assistance, all the goodness, the never-ending openness, all the condolences as only a ‘small-town’ is able to provide. It is truly amazing. The Reynoso family and the Gorham family and all the addendum names as can only be accumulated by longevity and mostly by what has to be true love. Most all things are good, and even ‘bad’ things leave all concerned a warm feeling, in small towns and all folks that ‘small towners’ know. Thanks to everyone.
“Saying goodbye is the most difficult thing in life and we never get good at it.”