- Melody Louise (Bressman) Bewley, 22, homemaker, died Thursday.
Services 2 p.m. Tuesday, First Baptist Church. Christian Funeral Home.

www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=596407

Memories // Keep Them Safe In a Memory Book


By Brandon Watkins
12/11/1996
When Kelli Horn's boyfriend and sister died within four weeks of
one another, she was left with regrets and a real test of faith.
`I was extremely angry for a long time,` Horn said. `I wondered
'Why does God let this happen?'`
Robert Niles was a 24-year-old quadriplegic Horn had been dating
only a few months when he was involved in a car accident that
killed two others and sent him to the hospital for more than a year
before he died.
`He had just turned 24 when he died,` Horn said. `A week later, my
sister was saying she didn't feel good. The doctors were saying it
was like pneumonia and said in about four weeks she should be better.
`I remember saying to her, 'Just think, only two more weeks and
then you'll be better.'`
Unfortunately, Melody Bewley, a mother of three, didn't get
better. She died of a rare lung disease on Thanksgiving day 1992.
`I remember thinking, 'She won't die because Rob just died,'` Horn
said. `We'd been praying and fasting and at that point we were angry.`
Though the tragedies made Horn question her faith, ultimately it
made her realize her family, faith and memories were priceless to her.
Horn realized there would be no more moments left to spend with
Melody or Robert and she was left wishing her times with the two
had been better documented. Before Robert died, she began piecing
together, in an album, photographs of them as well as cards and
information about him.
`I wanted to let him know that people cared,` she said.
Then Horn learned about `Creative Memories` photo albums and how
to create lasting albums filled with memories and explanations of
those memories.
This year, Horn, a Broken Arrow Medical Center personal assistant,
began teaching classes in creating the albums filled with
attractively displayed photos, clip art and inspirational sayings.
Creative Memories is a nationwide line of photo-safe albums that
are acid-free and lignin-free, so they won't yellow or destroy a
picture as some albums will.
So far, Horn has taught 65 people how to start a Creative Memories
album. She holds monthly workshops on how to decorate the albums,
through Broken Arrow's Community Education program. She also
teaches in her home, where she can be reached at 451-3347, or in
customers' homes.
Making the albums brought the 25-year-old Broken Arrowan closer to
her family and made her determined never to miss out on preserving a memory.
`We take pictures of almost everything we do,` Horn said. `My Mom
does the albums, as does my sister.`
The people who receive Horn's albums like them as well.
`When my nieces and nephews read this, I want them to know they're
important,` she said. `These are hope books or an encouragement book.`
Obviously, they like the albums. Her niece Brittany made a drawing
and on the back wrote, `To: my scrapbook. From: Brittany.`
`People don't realize the importance of family until it's too
late,` Horn said. `I would like to be making more memories with my
sister, but it's too late. I would like people to do that now
before it's too late for them.`