Melinda Karyl Claiborne

Melinda Karyl Beckenhauer-Claiborne was born on May 9, 1967 in Los Gatos, California. She grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from Los Altos High School in 1985. She started her volleyball career playing her freshman year for the Rainbow Wahine at the University of Hawaii and then transferred to the University of Washington where she was a 2 time All-American. She also made the All-Decade team on the West Coast and played professionally both in California and Germany. She coached at Colorado State, University of Nevada-Reno, Cal Berkeley, University of Georgia, and University of Alabama Birmingham. She married Glenn T. Claiborne on April 8, 1995. She had two children, Korynn and Kyle, before retiring from collegiate coaching and becoming a Special Education Teacher at Thompson High School, Columbiana Middle School, and Vincent Middle High School. She retired from teaching in August of 2017. She is survived by her husband Glenn, her son Cameron (daughter-in-law Kayla, granddaughter Brooke), daughter Korynn, son Kyle Claiborne, father Arnie (Diane) Beckenhauer, mother Carolyn Koehler, her sisters Michelle (Doug) Costales, Melanie (DJ) Heller, Jess (Ellen) Wolff, Janelle (Kai) Newton, brothers Robert and Kenzie Beckenhauer, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and brothers and sisters-in-law that loved her dearly. Her favorite verse was Jeremiah 29:11.