Melanie Curry Swan, 68, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away peacefully on July 21, 2026, after a lengthy and courageous fight with cancer. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 30, 1957, as the youngest of three sisters, Melanie spent most of her childhood in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she attended Broward Community College. In 1978 she met her husband in El Paso, Texas where he was stationed with the U.S. Army at Fort Bliss and they were married there on October 27, 1979. When they were later based at Fort Benning, Georgia Melanie graduated from Columbus State University with a degree in Physical Education.

Melanie’s life as a military spouse took her to bases coast to coast and to Germany where she supported military families during frequent unit deployments. She also enjoyed a 12-year career as a flight attendant with United Airlines and often served as a substitute teacher at several base schools.

When their son was born in 1993 at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Melanie devoted herself to her growing family. That included the birth of their daughter in 1996 in Boston, Massachusetts. Ever artistic, creative, and entrepreneurial, Melanie later established a very successful wedding florals business which she carried with her to subsequent duty stations.

After 18 military moves, Melanie and her family settled in Arlington, Virginia in 2012 where she was able to fulfill her passion as an avid tennis player at the Army-Navy Country Club and as a coach at McLean High School and the Bullis School. She and her husband moved to Jacksonville in 2022 where she continued her tennis play at the nearby Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. Melanie enjoyed traveling with her family, including orchestrating a much anticipated and treasured annual getaway with her two sisters and their extended families.

Melanie was preceded in death by her eldest sister, Suzannah Oltman, and is survived by her husband of 46 years, Guy, a retired lieutenant general; her son, Captain Ryan Swan (Victoria); daughter, Melissa Swan; sister Priscilla Huber (Robert); and a host of beloved nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 11:00 am at Palms Presbyterian Church, 3410 S. Third Street, Jacksonville Beach, Florida 32250. A funeral and interment at Arlington National Cemetery will be held at a later date.

We welcome your support of the USO where Melanie volunteered for many years at www.USO.org or the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of her late mother Marti at www.alz.org.