Melissa George Lindland, age 60, of Chicago, IL, died peacefully at home surrounded by her family on January 7, 2024. Melissa was the loving wife of Matthew Lindland and dedicated mother to four children: Clara, 27, of Arlington, VA; Robert, 25, of New York City; Christopher, 23, of Chicago; and Jane, 20, a junior at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
A resident of Chicago since 1991, she and Matt were married at St. Chrysostom’s Church in Chicago in 1993. Together, they lived in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, and, in 2004, built a home together in Andersonville, which Melissa designed. This is the home their four children have been raised in over the past 19 years.
Born in Chicago to Nancy Jane Connery and Alfred George, Melissa was raised in Wilmette, IL. She was a graduate ofs New Trier High School, Loyola University of Chicago, and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
After receiving her master’s degree, she was a reporter for newspapers in Florida and Madison, WI; for Reuters in New York and Chicago; and for Crain’s Chicago Business.
Melissa is remembered by her family and friends as a tenacious and loving advocate and supporter. She used the skills she honed as a reporter, such as confronting civic corruption, and turned them toward seeking out and getting access to the best resources for her children. As a result, they embraced the opportunities she made available and excelled. Whether finding pre-dawn sports training or getting everyone going on a long mountain hike, Melissa modeled a focus on inquisitive research and follow-through that was much to her family’s benefit.
Melissa’s debilitating ailments began in late 2019. She spent years thoroughly researching her symptoms and found that the source stemmed from Loeys-Dietz Syndrome – a rare genetic disorder that affects the production of collagen and connective tissue. She is at rest after four years of aggressively treating and enduring the manifestations of this disease throughout her body.
Melissa is survived by her husband, Matthew and her four adult children, Clara, Robert, Christopher, and Jane. She was a loving sister to John George of Glenview, IL, Jane George of Chicago, IL, and her deceased sister, Regina George Tobin. If you are so inclined, in lieu of flowers or other tributes, we ask that you remember Melissa by supporting the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation at www.loeysdietz.org.
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