Marie M. Fair

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Marie Melisano Fair, 72, of Clearfield, PA, on August 17, 2026 after a long and courageous battle with radiation heart disease. She was surrounded by the love and strength of her family and friends throughout this journey and on to the next.

Marie was born in Peekskill, NY on May 10, 1954 to Fred and Christine Melisano. As the middle of seven children, she seamlessly played the dual role of both little and big sister in a home filled with music and Italian food. In middle school, the family moved to Rockville, MD where she later graduated from Robert E Peary High School in 1972. Soon after she met Mike Belin while working for the government in the US Dept of Health, Education and Welfare. After a stint of living and working for Hunter College in New York City, they returned to Washington D.C. to get married and start their family. Shortly after welcoming their firstborn daughter Rachel in 1979, the family moved to Clearfield where they grew in numbers with the addition of her son Jay and youngest Christine.

To Marie, family wasn't just something; it was everything. She spent her days prioritizing her kids - providing what must have felt like a never-ending taxi service to band, football, basketball, dance and play practices. On any given day she could be found encouraging her children from the sidelines, helping the scouts earn merit badges or offering their friends sage advice over a Sunday Supper. She consistently made their home a safe space for all comers and was delighted in being called "the cool mom".

Throughout the 80s and into the 90s Marie faced many challenges including her fight against breast cancer (spoiler: she won) and the loss of family members, but despite it all she punched through those setbacks with grace and bravery all the while making sure to keep her family together.

Marie caught her stride in the late 90s when her knight in shining armor - Bruce Fair - entered her life. Their romance continued to flourish as they saw Christine off to college and built their life together highlighted by both business and leisure. Even though they had their day jobs - Marie worked at Lock Haven Clearfield campus for over 20 years - they found collective joy hunting and selling antiques while also being the proprietors of laundromats, storage unit facilities, rental properties and even a Tasty Cake delivery route. But it was their penchant for flipping houses that showed they were an unstoppable duo. Bruce handled the building while Marie did the interior design and over the years their efforts helped many people in the community find their forever homes.

Despite those busy days, Marie and Bruce found time to get married in the autumn of 2008 at a lovely ceremony surrounded by family and friends at their longtime home. Together they enjoyed cruising through the Caribbean, visiting family in Florida, haggling with auctioneers, trips to the casino and countless laughs around the campfire. As their children moved out, they welcomed a new kind of animal into the house - their dogs Geez and Sofia (and later Luna). Together they loved and cared for their furry friends with the same fervor as any human.

Marie was an avid fan and practitioner of the arts. She had a thirst for music nurtured by her father, encouraged by her siblings, passed on to her children and shared by Bruce. She always had a thirst for live music from her days of seeing Black Sabbath laser light shows in high school to her nights shared with family at concerts like Rod Stewart and Billy Joel. She also developed a knack for painting and photography that skillfully showcased scenes from her and Bruce's many rides through the Pennsylvania mountains.

Ever the fierce competitor - Marie was always quick to challenge her kids to a game of Nintendo, her friends to a hand of pinochle, her brother to Scrabble and anyone who had dollar bills to a game of Left-Right-Center. It wasn't always the contest she was after, but rather the memories made in its pursuit (but please don't get it twisted - she did love to win). She cherished her time spent with family and friends whether a simple phone call, a long day at the beach, a cookout, her long standing Lady's Lunch or one of the aforementioned games.

We all have stories to share about Marie and we owe it to her to do so. She was everyone's biggest fan, closest confidant and strongest advocate. No matter what the challenge, if Marie was in your corner, you always stood the chance to succeed. Together we can tell her story of love, survival, strength and life at the same volume at which she lived it. She will be forever missed and never forgotten.

Marie is survived by her husband, Bruce; her children, Rachel, Jay and his wife, Maureen, and Christine and her husband, Travis; her siblings, Barbara, Andrew, Suzanne, Franny, and Freddie; her cousin, Roy; her guardian angel, Kim; her dog, Luna; and countless other family members and friends who meant so much to her. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Christine; her sister, Annette; and her mother-in-law, Norma Kramer.

The family will receive friends at Beardsley Funeral Home on Friday, August 21 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and Saturday, August 22 from 10:00am to 11:00am followed by a service at the funeral home. Burial to follow at Calvary Cemetery (Park Avenue Extension).

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a donation be made to the Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Research Center in Marie's honor, (https://give.ccf.org/MarieFair).