Melissa Jo Poole

Melissa “Missy” Jo Poole, 64, passed away Monday, February 20, 2023, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. She was born on November 19, 1958 in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of the late Anna L. Anderson and the late Marion J. Anderson. On March 5, 1986, she married Stephen M. Poole, who preceded her in death.

She is survived by two children: Richard “RJ” Gilardi of Dickson, Tennessee, and Stephanie Poole Arnett of Piqua, Ohio. 7 grandchildren: Richard “James” Gilardi, Haley Arnett, Spencer Arnett, Makenna Marsh, Kayla Gilardi, Cavin Gilardi, and Kinsley “Lucy” Gilardi. She was preceded in death by her sister, Carolyn Mattley.

Missy was always making someone laugh, and was always there if you needed someone to talk to. She loved being around her family and was loved by everyone she met. She absolutely adored her two cats, Pearl and Wompus. Missy listened to all kinds of music, but she was infatuated by the band, Pearl Jam, & her family would say that she is their biggest fan. She was also a big Ohio State Buckeyes and Cincinnati Bengals fan.

A memory her granddaughter Haley would like to share is: from a summer she went to spend with her nana, Missy, and her papa in Tennessee. It was nighttime, and she was trying to sleep on the couch, while her grandparents were asleep in their bedroom. The refrigerator was making strange noises and she was convinced that those noises were from something else. She went into their room to go wake them and tell them what she was hearing, and Missy told her not to worry, that it was just the fridge. Haley insisted that she wasn’t going to sleep until she knew for sure that it was nothing. So, Missy got up, and showed her that she had nothing to worry about. Even though there wasn’t anything to be afraid of, she still let her granddaughter sleep with her and her husband, in their room. Just so she knew that Haley wouldn’t be scared.

She will be missed by many, and she will live on through her family.