Melissa Ann Connally, age 53, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, while at home with her family.  She passed unexpectedly in her sleep during the night.  Her family is grieving deeply, yet they are also sorrowing with firm hope in the resurrection and in the promises of Christ.

Melissa was born on October 10, 1972, in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, the daughter of John Wayne Dehart and Geneva Sue "Susie" Bowles Dehart.

As a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, Melissa gave her heart to Jesus and began to grow strong in the faith. She loved serving as an ESL tutor for the wives of Chinese graduate students, a ministry that deepened her love for people from other cultures and eventually led her to travel overseas to China to teach English in the next three of the seven years.  In the summer of 1994, Melissa met the love of her life, Matt Connally, in Hong Kong. They were married on October 28, 2000.

For the next twenty-five years, by the grace of Christ, she faithfully served as a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a steadfast friend. The Lord gave her a heart for bringing people together, and her zeal for gospel outreach left a quiet but lasting mark on many who served alongside her. She counted it a privilege and an honor to work with international students through teaching English, rejoicing in every opportunity to help make the love and truth of Christ known across cultures. Through seasons of joy and seasons of hardship, she continued to press on—not in her own strength, but by His grace—to know Christ more deeply and to make Him known to those in need.

In addition to her husband and parents, Melissa is survived by her sons, Matthew Nehemiah Connally and Jeremiah Hudson Connally; her sister, Anika Busick Dehart; her stepmother, Cindi Dehart; her stepbrother, Dalton Vandever; and her stepsisters, Erin Ely and Jordyn Hinkle.

With heartfelt gratitude, the family thanks all who served, supported, and participated in this memorial service, and all who have surrounded them with love, prayers, and care.