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Woman Found On Park Bench Remembered As 'Ultimate Boston Girl'

A Boston hospitality professional died unexpectedly, leaving behind a bereft network of friends, family members, co-workers, and pets. 

Melanie Ann DiVasta

Melanie Ann DiVasta

Photo Credit: Facebook / Melanie DiVasta

Melanie Ann DiVasta was found deceased by police officers around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 near Atlantic Avenue and Cross Street, the Boston Police Department told DailyVoice. She was found lying on a park bench in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, according to MassLive. 

DiVasta, who passed away at age 47, combined her skills in the fields of software and hospitality in her job as a program manager for MGM Grand which she began last year, according to her obituary. 

"She must have chosen to work in hospitality because of her good nature, compassion and empathy," said a condolence message left on her obituary. "I will miss her and I know the Boston Hospitality industry will as well.

Spending only three years in her home town of Goldsboro, North Carolina, DiVasta moved to North Reading as a child and studied at Boston University before choosing to work in the hotel industry. 

A North End devotee, DiVasta loved the Clock Tower and the lights of the Christopher Columbus Park. Her other passions include her nieces and nephews, her cats Buffy and Phoenix, a large iced coffee from Dunkin, and most of all, music. 

"If Melanie wasn’t working, she was listening to music or planning to listen to live music somewhere," her obituary read. "Her home-away-from-home and perhaps the only place she would have considered leaving the North End for was Nashville, where she established herself as a regular fan of several local artists."

Instead of flowers, her family requests that memorial donations be made to the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society in Salisbury. Alternatively, her obituary said, "Melanie would love it if you bought a ticket to that concert you weren’t sure of, because that’s what she would do."

DiVasta's funeral mass will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, at 11:30 a.m., at St. Theresa’s Church in North Reading.

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