Melinda "Mindy" Wilcox

Mindy Wilcox, 71, of West Des Moines, Iowa died peacefully on August 18, 2025, surrounded by her family after a courageous ten-month battle against acute myeloid leukemia.

Melinda Sue Vande Lune was born on November 6, 1953, to Audrey (Wooddell) and Marvin Vande Lune. She was a proud life-long resident of West Des Moines, and as a kid she loved playing outside, riding her bike and unicycle, and climbing the fence in her backyard to walk to Holiday Pool where she would swim for hours. Mindy graduated from Valley High School in 1972, where she was a talented natural athlete, lettering all four years in basketball as well as achieving letters in softball and tennis.

After high school, Mindy attended college in Utah, and after marrying the love of her life and favorite golf partner, Greg Wilcox, on September 4, 1976, she attended Drake University. Mindy graduated from Drake in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in education, which led to a 31-year teaching career at Valley High School in the business department and as a coordinator for students who were at risk of not graduating.

Mindy, always the athlete and educator, cherished her time teaching her children how to play sports and watching them, and later her grandchildren, participate in sports and other activities, including their endless hours of swimming in her backyard pool (a favorite pastime of her grandchildren). During the summer, you could always find Mindy listening to or watching the Chicago Cubs. Each year she remained optimistic that it was definitely the year the Cubs would win it all (which she did eventually see them do in 2016). Mindy also loved supporting the Iowa Hawkeyes, playing golf, reading and being a member of her book club, playing Mahjong with friends, spending time with the many dogs she had over her lifetime, solving crossword and Sudoku puzzles, playing Pitch (one of her family’s favorite card games and one she loved to play with her mom), traveling around the country with Greg to play golf, hosting her family for holidays and preparing her Christmas Eve beef tenderloin dinner, and traveling to Kansas City and Dallas to see her children and grandchildren.

With a quiet, yet determined competitive nature that was second to none, Mindy loved sports and was a particularly avid golfer. While attending Drake, which did not have a women’s golf team at the time, and only after picking up the sport a few years prior, it will surprise no one that Mindy asked the coach if she could try out for the men’s team. Qualifying was held at Wakonda Country Club and when told that she would have to play from the men’s tees, she said fine and based on her scores during those qualifying rounds she proceeded to make the team, but a week later she was told that because she received a college credit during high school her eligibility to participate in college athletics had expired. Nevertheless, her golf prowess and love of the game continued for the rest of her life with four holes-in-one and numerous golf tournament wins. She was the women’s club champion for many years, including 10 out of the last 12 years, at Des Moines Golf & Country Club (where she held the women’s course record on the South Course for a number of years with a score of four under par). Recently, she won the women’s senior championship at Shadow Wood Country Club in Bonita Springs, Florida, where she and Greg enjoyed their winters for several years following her retirement from teaching.

Never one to complain and always the calm, steady presence in her family, Mindy was a loving presence for all and always made everyone around her feel welcome and comfortable. As a friend to many in Iowa and Florida, Mindy truly valued those relationships and treasured the time spent with her friends. She had a quick wit, loved to laugh, and enjoyed hosting her children, her children’s friends, and her extended family for holidays and other occasions. Above all, Mindy was a selflessly devoted wife and mother and was a loving, proud “YaYa” to her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband of almost 49 years, Greg; three children: Andrew (Gillian) of Leawood, KS; Austin of Dallas, TX; and Morgan (Derek) Gates of Dallas, TX; five grandchildren: Eleanor, Henry, Syre, Berkley, and Graham; sister, Mary Ellen (Gordon) Briggs of Lenexa, KS; brother, Dr. Dan Vande Lune of El Paso, TX; her brother-in-law, Steve Wilcox of West Des Moines; two nephews; five nieces; several great nieces and nephews; and many dear friends. She was preceded in death by her parents.

A visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, August 25, 2025 at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Funeral services will be held at 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at West Des Moines United Methodist Church, 720 Grand Avenue in West Des Moines, with interment thereafter at Resthaven Cemetery and a reception starting at 4 p.m. at Des Moines Golf & Country Club. The service will be livestreamed from the Hamilton’s website for those unable to attend.

Memorial contributions in her memory may be made to the “Student Scholarship Fund-Mindy Wilcox Memorial” c/o Cindy Todd, 3775 EP True Parkway #155, West Des Moines, IA 50265 (a scholarship in her name will be established at Valley High School by the family at a later date) or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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