Melissa Heflin Alvis died unexpectedly on Saturday, July 9, 2016 in San Diego, CA, in the presence of dear friends. She is survived by John M. Alvis, Jr., her loving husband and faithful companion of over 29 years of San Diego, CA; parents James R. and Dorothy F. Heflin of Kingwood, TX; brother James M. Heflin and wife Becky, and their sons Rob, Mitch and Jarrett ("JJ") of Wayzata, MN; brother Scott D. Heflin and wife Stephanie, and their children Lauren and husband Ted Buck, Eric and wife Jennifer, and Christopher and wife Jessica, all of Houston, TX; in-laws John M. ("Mark") Alvis, Sr. and Elsie R. Alvis of College Station, TX; brother-in-law William ("Will") and wife Brooke Alvis and their children Darin, Abbey and Kira of Houston, TX; and a number of other family members, including aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, cousins and friends. She was born Melissa Elaine Heflin into a loving, Christian family on March 29, 1964. Her father was a U.S. Marine and the family traveled every summer from each duty station to visit family in central Texas, especially in the Waco and Dallas/Ft Worth areas. Melissa and John were High School sweethearts and married while attending Texas A&M University. Melissa later completed her B.A. degree at the University of Washington. She lived at various times in North Carolina, Virginia, California, Texas, Washington, and Brussels, Belgium. She traveled the U.S. and Europe and family ties remained extremely important to her all of her days. Her cousin, Karen (Johnson) Reeves remained especially close to Melissa as the two shared their hearts over her lifetime. Melissa expressed her feelings in her poetry. She left behind a treasure of writings that allow glimpses into her struggles and her pain, but always focus on her unwavering faith in God, her faith in prayer and her faith in love. We will miss her quick smile, her warm embrace and her courage to share her heart. In Melissa's own words: "Legacy" My legacy may only be the words I write, my poetry. If eyes ever read these words that I say, My heart's longing would be that my poems convey… a trace of hope, a measure of peace, but more than these, Faith in Him, Where lies the only reservoir For true contentment and sufficient Grace! Melissa H. Alvis, March 3, 1999 In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either NAMI San Diego, 5095 Murphy Canyon Rd #320, San Diego, CA 92123, or DBSA San Diego, 3350 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, CA 92161, both of which are charitable organizations that Melissa appreciated.