Melissa A. James

September 15, 1965 — August 26, 2025

Indianapolis

Melissa Ann Jones James (lovingly known as Queen), 59, of Evansville, IN, passed away August 26th, 2025. Queen was born in Evansville, IN on September 15th, 1965, to parents, Mary Louise (Sloan) Jones and Gilbert Arthur Jones Sr. She graduated from Marion High School and went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

Queen worked as a Human Resources during her career, earning her the Excellence in Mission Support from the Commissioners Annual Awards Ceremony in 2025.

Queen was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Louise Jones, father, Gilbert Arthur Jones, and nephew Ahmad Fleece. She is survived by her husband, Harold James, two daughters; Marissa Brewer and Mia Brewer, three bonus-children Brandy, Rodney, and Mike. She leaves four beautiful grandchildren behind: Jadyn, Jawaun Jr., Ja’Ceon, and Nova.

Queen also leaves behind her five siblings: Terrasina Shropshire (Travis), Gilda Sloan-Perry (Stephan), Mattie M. Jones, Gilbert A. Jones Jr., and Jennifer Fleece. Her mother and father-in-law Ellise and Mark Dixon.

Queen leaves behind a host of close nieces and nephews, family, friends, and colleagues.

A memorial gathering will be held at 11am on Friday, September 5th, 2025, with a memorial service to follow at 12pm all will take place at Flanner Buchanan-Washington Park East, 10722 E. Washington St. Melissa will be laid to rest at Washington Park East Cemtery.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Toys 4 Tots & Coats 4 Kids

Family and friends are encouraged to view Queen Mel James online tribute at www.FlannerBuchanan.com to sign the online guest book and share messages of condolence with the family.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Melissa A. James, please visit our flower store.

Construction Alert: Blue Line Project Underway

Gradex will reduce the front entrance at Washington Park East to a single lane due to ongoing Blue Line construction. We understand this change may cause significant traffic delays, especially for our funeral, cemetery, and event services.

What we're doing to help:

To ease congestion, we’ve expanded the 10th Street entrance, which will be open during normal business hours for all guests. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this evolving situation. We’ll continue to monitor traffic flow and make adjustments as needed to ensure the best possible experience for our visitors.