Henrietta Mellander passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice in Albany after succumbing to a short battle with aggressive pancreatic and liver cancer. She was 87 years old.

Henrietta was born in San Jose, California to Jessie Isabelle Peters and Joaquin August Tello. She attended Vallejo High School and Junior College and graduated with her bachelor's degree in Education from San Jose State University. She was a member of Kappa Delta Pi Education Society and the Key Club as well as Phi Kappa Chi Music Society, Contempos Art Society, and Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

Henrietta served as an educator prior to her marriage and returned to teaching in 1969 where she taught as a Math and English teacher at Cabrillo Junior High in San Jose, California. After the Mellander family moved to Albany in 1977 she continued to teach at Calapooia Middle School as an English and Math teacher for another 22 years before her retirement. She acted in the role of team leader and established a number of long-lasting friendships with her peers.

Henrietta was married to Donald Robert Mellander in 1958. They were married for 60 years at the time of Don's passing in 2019.

Henrietta's talents and hobbies centered around: eloquent and editorialized writings on Facebook, playing piano for herself and her family, pursuing art, including painting abstract art, scrapbooking and calligraphy, the creation of amazing life montages posing as birthday cards, and teaching and philosophizing among her family and friends. She pursued genealogy with a passion, making family connections across the country and the world on behalf of both her and her husband's family. She hosted huge holiday family get-togethers and as a 'foodie' was not content to just create food that was typical or mainstream. Everything she did was motivated by her fierce loyalty to her family. As her grandson put it, she was "intelligent, caring and loved her clan more than anything". She also enjoyed traveling, trips to Spirit Mountain to participate in games of chance, and of course the occasional Bombay Sapphire martini. Both she and Don were well known at their favorite food haunt in Albany - Elmer's.

Henrietta is preceded in passing by her husband Don, her brothers Jesse and Harold and her granddaughter Danika Sue Mellander.

Henrietta is survived by her six children and their spouses Kevin and Lori, Brian and Christie, Julie and Corrie, Kerry and Tim, Mary and Mike and Tim and Sandy, her 15 grandchildren (Glen, Elise, Dawnielle, Kara, Jessica, Nicole, Brandon, Tyler, Cassandra, Ashley, Kyleigh, Lane, Lindsey, Josh, and Jake) and 24 great grandchildren August, Dominic, Bronson, Capri, Riley, Braxten, Alohilani, Ali'i, Ammon, Nakoa, Adalyn, Olivia, Carmynn, Ruben, Isa, Lily, Hailey, Isaac, Dimitri, Dominic, Gemma, McCoy, Meyers, and Madden. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Irene Tello, her niece Anita, grandnieces Julia, Alaina, and Sonya, and nephew Vincent.

There will be a public viewing held at AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home in Albany on Thursday, March 3, from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. A memorial service for Henrietta will take place on Friday, March 4, at 11:00 a.m. also at AAsum-Dufour.

AAsum-Dufour Funeral Home is handling the arrangements (www.aasum-dufour.com).