Growing up, Melody Heaton Crump spent every summer working at her family’s small businesses in Lake City, Colorado. “It taught me huge lessons in hard work,” she said. Now, as a small business owner alongside her family, Crump is enjoying living and working in Lake City yearround.
Crump graduated from Dublin High School in 2006, and went on to Tarleton to earn her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. While there, she met her now-husband, Tyler Crump. “After we both graduated, we moved to Colorado, where we got married and were expecting our first child,” she said.
The couple moved back to Abilene to be closer to Crump’s family, where they were part-owners of a froyo franchise. After a few years, they moved back to Lake City, Colorado for good.
Crump and her sister Katie (who we featured in this column last week) are co-owners of Lake City Liquors, the only liquor store in the town, and Crump’s husband is co-owner of the only fine-dining restaurant in town called Climb. “He leads the kitchen where he has created a delicious, madefrom- scratch menu,” Crump says. “He makes the savory meals and I make desserts occasionally.”
An average day for Crump as a business owner and mother is packed full of activities. “We have two kids so they keep me very busy doing their extracurriculars like football and gymnastics classes,” she said.
For the past four years, she has also worked as a volunteer EMT in Lake City. “I use that certification to work at our local family clinic,” she said. “I am also in nursing school to get my BSN.”
When she was at Tarleton, Crump had studied nursing before switching to liberal studies. “I switched majors and have regretted doing that ever since,” she said. “Now that my kids are older, I am one year from graduating and I’m so excited to finally complete that goal of getting my nursing degree.”
Crump is passionate about the medical field. “I love helping my community and their medical needs,” she said. “Being an EMT has been equally thrilling as it is terrifying, given emergency situations in such a rural location (technically the most rural county in the lower 48 states).”
In addition to working at the liquor store, her husband’s restaurant and serving as an EMT, Crump also has another job on the side baking cakes and cupcakes for events. “It breaks up the monotony of medical work and I get a lot of joy from it,” she said. “I have made so many treats for birthdays, weddings and even a few 50th wedding anniversary parties.”
When Crump has free time, she enjoys spending time outside. “My absolute favorite thing to do is get outside on Lake San Cristobal to paddleboard,” she said. “I get out to the lake early where I chase the sunrise across the lake and my only company is the geese and osprey. I also enjoy hiking and plan to summit a few more 14ers (14,000 feet mountains) this summer.”
She also enjoys traveling with friends and seeing concerts all over the country. “As soon as I get done with one concert, I almost always have another one on my calendar to look forward to,” she said.
Crump and her husband have two children, Holden, 9 and Aspen, 6. Her parents, Jeff and Shari Heaton, also live in Lake City.
Throughout her life, Crump has found inspiration in the hardworking people around her. “My inspiration has always been people that do things to better their community,” she said. “From the small town of Dublin, to the even smaller town of Lake City, communities are powerful when they work together to make good things happen. My goal is to always make improvements for my community in any capacity possible.”
Crump’s advice for Dublin graduates is to experience what the world has to offer. “‘Graduation is a starting point for the next chapter in your life,” she said. “Embrace new experiences and opportunities. Never stop learning and growing. See the world. Find your passion!’
Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen. com.