Melissa Jo Szucs, age 15, of Shawano, peacefully left this world surrounded by her loving family after a 13 year battle with cancer on June 18, 2015. Melissa was born in Shawano on October 3, 1999, to James and Vicky (Brockman) Szucs. She attended Shawano High School and recently completed her freshman year. Melissa loved life, especially when spending time at Grandpa Jim's cabin or in Bill and Joan's trailer. She was a die-hard Shawano County Fair goer and was a member of the Wolf River 4-H Club. She especially enjoyed her trips to Florida where she was able to see and learn about many exotic animals. In her free time she loved reading books and watching movies, and was a huge Harry Potter fan. Melissa was a proud participant of the Shawano Relay for Life. She was kind and selfless and made true friends where ever she went in whatever she was doing. Melissa is survived by her parents, Jim and Vicky; her grandparents, Jim and Betty Szucs and Buster and Jean Brockman all of Shawano; her aunt and uncles, Wendy (Andrew) Collins of Oshkosh and Ricky Brockman, and Tony Szucs both of Shawano; four cousins, Ben and Jacob Collins and Kayla and Tristan Szucs. She is also survived by her two adopted lion cubs, Masamba and Mandisa as well as other relatives and many special friends, including Rachel and Brandi. Funeral services for Melissa will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, June 26, 2015 at St. Jakobi Lutheran Church in the Town of Richmond with Rev. Travis Kleinschmidt officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held at Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano on Thursday, June 25, 2015, from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and again at the church on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.