From the South Orange Rescue Squad on December 1:
It is with profound sadness that the South Orange Rescue Squad (SORS) shares the untimely passing of life member Melanie Troncone. Affectionately referred to as “Mel”, she passed away suddenly yesterday afternoon following a medical emergency at the age of 47.
Mel was a keystone member of our community. Born and raised here in South Orange, Mel was known throughout town for the many hats she wore. In addition to the countless lives she touched and at times saved through her volunteer work with our agency, she worked for the Village of South Orange as the town’s animal control officer and at King’s Market in Maplewood Village. Beyond her professional roles, she loved spending her evenings with her friends at Bunny’s Sports Bar and being a proud mom to her daughter, who is also a SORS life member, Mackenzie.
Mel was an integral part of SORS for over 15 years and held many leadership positions during that time, including President. During her Presidency, she led the squad through many challenges including the loss of our building and the eventual fundraising effort and building process of our current headquarters at 62 Sloan Street. This is tragic news that comes only two days after her most recent shift.
It is safe to say that she directly touched the lives of thousands of community members, mentored countless SORS EMTs, and helped shape the squad as we know it today. When her passing was announced in an inter-departmental notification, the outpouring of grief was overwhelming. The amount of love we all have for her is palpable and the love she showed us was immeasurable.
Mel was known to be outspoken, larger than life, an unstoppable force of nature which makes this loss that much harder. She brought a jovial spirit to those around her, giving those lucky to be close to her this rare sensation that is hard to describe, but could possibly be understood as a warmth in your heart that some would say is contentment. She loved hard, was a fierce friend, and was an excellent EMT that so many of our personnel, former and present, learned from.
Mel shared a lot of wisdom during her tenure here at SORS, about EMS and about life in general. As Mel once said “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, we at SORS do not have that problem”. What can certainly be said about Mel is that she made a difference, the world is a better place because of her.
The Board, on behalf of all SORS members, sends our deepest condolences to Mel’s family.
Visitation for Melanie Troncone will take place on Friday, December 6 from 3:00- 7:00 PM at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave, South Orange, NJ. In lieu of flowers donations to South Orange Rescue Squad, 62 Sloan Street, South Orange, NJ 07079 (southorangerescuesquad.org) would be appreciated. Read more about Melanie here.
