Melinda S. Meyer Gaidemak Esq.

Melinda S. Gaidemak, Esq. (née Meyer) passed away peacefully on August 21st, 2025 at home with her sons by her side. She was born on February 24, 1954.

Melinda graduated from Delaware Academy in Delhi, earned her undergrad in Biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta, and her Law degree from Rutgers Law School in New Jersey. Throughout her career, she focused primarily on criminal and property law, and retired from the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York in Oneonta in the late 2000’s. Though she became a lawyer by trade, she remained a Biologist at heart, and it shone through every time she traveled through the countryside. She held a deep reverence for nature and possessed an uncanny ability to identify the various flora and fauna of our area.

Melinda adored West Highland White Terriers, or ‘Westies’ for short, and was rarely seen without one of her beloved pair, Trudy and Casper, by her side. A devoted collector of chintzware and a keen student of her family history, she filled her home with pattern, story, and lineage. She traced her father’s roots to the Dundas family, which in 2004 led her to Scotland, where she visited Dundas Castle.

Those who knew Melinda would remember her as a fiercely loving and protective mother, loyal friend, lifelong learner, passionate cook, and fighter.

Melinda is survived by her sons, Jacob and Cole; her grandson, Ethan; her daughter-in-law, Deniz; and Cole and Deniz’s expected child. She also leaves behind her sister, Nancy Merritt and Nancy’s partner Robert Dee.

Melinda is predeceased by her parents, Elva and Glen Meyer, her husband, Joel Gaidemak, MD, and her dear friend Jaquie Haenel.

Graveside services will be at 1PM on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at Woodland Cemetery, 2 Orchard Street, Delhi, NY

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Melinda’s name to support Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.