Kathleen Melone Reichel

Kathleen Melone Reichel, passed away peacefully on November 8, 2026, at the UVA Medical Center, surrounded by her loving family and friends after a courageous battle with cancer. Kathi was born in Roanoke, VA to Jack and Wanda Melone of Greene and Madison counties. They moved to Springfield, VA where she spent her youth and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. She went on to attend James Madison University, where she received her baccalaureate degree in accounting. After graduation, Kathi moved to Myrtle Beach, SC where she lived for several years before returning to the northern Virginia area. Kathi was subsequently employed for 12 years as the Chief Financial Officer for Public Interest Communications until, when on a date set up by her dad, she met her husband and the love of her life, Jason Reichel, a police officer in Fairfax County. They were married on September 27, 1998, and shortly thereafter moved to Warrenton, VA, to start a family and begin their lives together. Together, they shared 28 wonderful years of marriage built on unwavering Love, laughter, mutual support, companionship, and devotion. Kathi was a woman with a zest for life and embraced opportunities to explore the world around her. She loved the Blue Ridge Mountains, which is her family’s homeplace, but she had a special attachment to the beach, its surf, sand, warm breezes, and lighthouses. She particularly cherished spending time on Chincoteague Island exploring nature, enjoying Chincoteague oysters, and following the Chincoteague ponies. She had many interests and loved anything colored purple, particularly her JMU Dukes. She loved to garden and spent many hours planting, pruning, and making sure every plant would be perfect and complement the other. She used to say her garden, just as the beach, was her happy place. In between her gardening, she would read. Kathi was a voracious reader. She had an adventurous spirit and traveled abroad numerous times to the Caribbean, Europe, and throughout the United States. After resigning her position as a CFO, Kathi became a substitute teacher at the same school her children attended and where she worked for many years. She loved and enjoyed spending time with children and encouraging young minds. Kathi will be remembered for her adventurous heart, her warmth, and the quiet strength she showed throughout her life and illness.

Kathi is survived by her husband Jason Reichel; her son, Jarod Reichel, daughter, Mary Grace Reichel; parents Jack and Wanda Melone: sister Donna Bilko, brother-in-law, Dave: her Aunt Mollie Recker; as well as numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Kathi will be laid to rest next to her beloved grandmother, Mary Graves, at Rose Park United Methodist Church in Madison, VA, on November 13, 2026, at 3:00 pm. A separate celebration of life for Kathi will be held at the Bethel United Methodist Church in Warrenton, VA, on November 21, 2026, at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in honor of Kathi to the American Cancer Society.