Obituary of Sallie Baker Mellem

Sallie Baker Mellem, 88, passed away on Monday, September 9 at her home in Cape May. Born in 1930 in Lorain, Ohio, she learned to love the traveling life at a young age as she rambled around the country with her mother and father. Her adventurous family moved to Morristown, NJ, when she was a young child where she discovered her deep love for music. She majored in music and minored in literature at Ohio Wesleyan, later earning her Master's degree in literature from Fairleigh Dickenson University. After marrying Robert Munsick, she settled down with her family in Teaneck, NJ where she used her love of literature to fuel her passion for teaching high school English which she taught for decades at both Teaneck High School and John F Kennedy School in Berlin, Germany. Students far and wide remember her as "the cool" teacher who discarded poetry textbooks in favor of lyrics by upcoming artists Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Phil Ochs. It was her love of music that brought passion to her days. She passed her talents on to her three boys and countless students and audience members over her lifetime. After retiring she spent her golden years traveling the world and contributing to her Cape May community. She was an active member of several church choirs, a weekly volunteer hospital visitor, a book club leader, and an eager and sage participant in all that life had to offer. From her, her sons learned the value of having a sharp sense of humor, the ability to romanticize life, and the way to treasure the important things in life. Up until the time of her death she played piano and sang the songs that made her and her days smile. She was predeceased by parents Russell and Florence (nee Obits) Baker and is survived by sons David, Jeffrey, and Peter Munsick, their children and their grandchildren. A service will be held in her memory at Church of the Advent, Cape May, Saturday, September 28, at 11:00 am.