Melissa Ann Emerson, 56, of Des Moines, passed away January 19, 2013, at Broadlawns Hospital in Des Moines. A memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 23, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Visitation with the family present will be held one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Melissa was born March 30, 1956, in Marshalltown, the daughter of Ronald H. and Carol Hansen Emerson. She was raised in Toledo and Grinnell and was a 1974 graduate of Grinnell High School. She later was a graduate of Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids. Melissa worked for many years as a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Austin, Texas, before returning to Iowa to be near family. Survivors include her parents, Ron and Carol Emerson of Grinnell; a brother, Michael and his wife, Carrie of New York City, and a brother, Patrick and his wife, Diana and children, Sophia and Nathaniel of Olathe, Kansas.