Melanie G. Grider

  Melanie Grider, 68, was born on March 28,1958 and passed away on August 30, 2026 in her daughter’s home. She was born in Emmett, Idaho to Leon and Helen Grider. She was the middle child of three children, having an older sister, Brenda and a younger brother, Lance.
  Melanie graduated from Emmett High School in 1976. She married RuMel Rice on June 25, 1976. Together they had two children, Joshua and Zeb. They were divorced in 1987. In 1991 Melanie married Terry Wallace. Together they had one child, Stephanie. They divorced in 1994. Melanie married Paul Unzicker in 2002 and divorced in 2004.
  Melanie grew up on her parents' farm in Emmett. She learned how to work hard at an early age. She was in the field picking strawberries at 6 years old and helping them harvest their various row crops and hoeing the fields. She was in the orchards picking cherries and apples with her parents. She worked in the Packing Sheds in Emmett and at Grider's Greenhouses until getting on at Micron Technology in Boise, in 1984. She retired from Micron, after 35 years, in 2019 as a QA Planner.
  Melanie's three children meant the world to her. There is nothing that she would not have done for any of them. They all went through so much turbulence over the years as Melanie searched for someone to love and be loved by. Unfortunately, she was searching for love in all the wrong places, and in all the wrong faces, until her son, Zeb, was killed in a tragic hit and run accident in 2004 at 23 years of age. The pain drove her to her knees where she finally found the love of her life in Jesus Christ. Her life was forever changed. Jesus was by her side and helped her through everything that came her way and she was transformed into a new creation in Him. In spite of ridicule and opposition that would present itself in the years ahead, she never wavered from the amazing love that she found in Christ. Her love for Him only grew deeper in the years that would pass and she wanted to share Jesus with everyone she met. She was anxiously awaiting the Rapture of the Church and to be with her Savior and LORD. Now she is with Him.
  Melanie is survived by her son, Joshua (Erica) Rice; her daughter, Stephanie (Alejandro) Ayala; her granddaughter, Jadelyn Rice; her sister, Brenda (Alvin) Beers; nephews Alex Beers, Ben Grider and Ann Grider and many cousins.
  Melanie was preceded in death by her parents, Leon and Helen Grider; her brother, Lance Grider; her son, Zeb Rice, and her grandson, Jack Rice.
  Donations may be made to International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, St. Jude's Children Hospital, Calvary Chapel or a Charity of your choice.
  Graveside services will be held at the Emmett Cemetery on Wednesday September 9, 2026 at 11:00 AM.  There will not be a reception afterwards. Please give each other a hug and Praise Jesus for Eternal Life found only through Him. John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."
  Arrangements are in the care of the Potter Funeral Chapel.

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