Melissa Noel (Wilhite) Carreon

Melissa Noel (Wilhite) Carreon, of Elk Grove, Calif., passed away on her 40th birthday, December 24, 2018. She fought breast cancer for several years and was unable to beat it one last time. Melissa is survived by her husband, Omar and their nine year old son, also Omar. After moving to Southern California with her parents in 1996, Melissa graduated from San Jose State University in 2001, with a BA in Political Science. She worked as an office assistant to a California state assembly woman and then as a secretary to the Higher Education subcommittee in Sacramento. She married Omar Carreon in 2006. In 2010, Melissa started a new job as office manager for the East Bay Municipal Utility District in the political affairs office in Sacramento. Melissa was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, and was diagnosed in April, 2017, with Metastatic Breast Cancer. She was a fighter and met both diagnoses head on with everything she could. She was always willing to help anyone who was on their own journey of fighting breast cancer. Along with her husband and son, Melissa is survived by her parents, David and Janet (Means) Wilhite of Brentwood, Calif. (who both grew up in Fulton) and her brother, Chris (Misty) Wilhite and their sons Christopher and David of Loveland, Colo. She is also survived by Patsy (Means) Craghead of Fulton, and Linda (Wilhite) West and Rick Means of Columbia, Tom Wilhite and Donna (Wilhite) Noyes of Texas as well as several cousins in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. Melissa is also survived by her husband's family of California. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Russell and Betsy Wilhite and Louis and Helen Means. A memorial fund has been established in Melissa's name at a Sacramento breast cancer charity, Albie Aware, that supports women fighting breast cancer without insurance and limited resources. Donations can be made at www.albieaware.org and list Melissa Carreon in the notes section of the donation page. A Celebration of Life will be held February 9, in Sacramento, California.