A 24-year-old Marine Sergeant has died after she was injured in a snowboarding accident at a well-liked resort whereas residence visiting her household for the vacations.
Jessie Mello, from Grand Junction, Colo., was snowboarding at Powderhorn Mountain on Dec. 24 when she suffered a extreme head damage and damaged bones on the resort’s intermediate-level path, The Colorado Solar reported.
The younger Marine’s father, Eric Mello, informed the outlet witnesses noticed his daughter was carrying a helmet and hit a patch of ice whereas snowboarding down the mountain, inflicting her to slip right into a tree.
She was flown to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction — roughly 40 miles from the snowboarding hotspot — and was positioned in intensive care, the place she was left combating for her life.
Mello died from her accidents within the hospital on Jan. 5.
“My baby girl went peacefully into Jesus’s arms tonight,” her father wrote in a Fb put up.
“Thank you all for the love and support through all of this… We love you all and she is at peace.”
A funeral was held for Mello at Messiah Lutheran Church on Jan. 10.
The service was adopted by Marine Corps Funeral Honors, the place faucets had been performed for her closing salute to service, and two Marines dressed of their blues folded the American flag draped over her casket and introduced it to her father.
Her father stated “more than 50 Marines from all over the world” confirmed as much as the service to pay their respects to his daughter, in keeping with The Colorado Solar.
Mello’s household informed the outlet that she grew up snowboarding at Powderhorn Mountain however stopped in highschool and whereas she served within the Marines.
Mello is remembered as being “kind, loving, and full of joy,” however wasn’t afraid to “put you in your place with a simple glance and build you up with a hug,” a web based memorial web page arrange for the Marine shared.
“Excellence was not a lofty goal for Jessie; it was the standard,” a web based memorial web page arrange for the Marine shared.
“Jessie lived more in 24 years than most dream to live in a lifetime. She traveled the world, was a multisport athlete, a black belt, a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, and an incredible daughter, sister, and friend to everyone she encountered.”
Mello is survived by her dad and mom, Eric and Jennifer Mello, and two brothers, Bo and William Mello.
Her loss of life was the primary reported ski space fatality of the 2024-25 ski season, in keeping with The Colorado Solar.
In the course of the 2023-34 season, at the least 15 folks died on Colorado ski slopes — six of them after colliding with bushes.
Powderhorn boasts its “1,600 acres of diverse terrain” and says its mountains yearly obtain over 250 inches of snow.
