Patricia Anthony Melton

PATRICIA ANTHONY MELTON MADE HER TRANSITION ON MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 25, 2014 AT HER HOME IN MORGANTON, NORTH CAROLINA, FOLLOWING A BRIEF ILLNESS. PAT WAS BORN ON JULY 3, 1923 IN ARIZONA AND LIVED IN ARIZONA UNTIL SHE WAS SIXTEEN WHEN SHE MOVED TO GLEN ALPINE, NC TO LIVE WITH AN AUNT AFTER GRADUATING FROM GLEN ALPINE HIGH SCHOOL, SHE MET HER HUSBAND, JACK MELTON IN A POOL HALL THAT HE OWNED IN GLEN ALPINE AND THEY FELL MADLY IN LOVE AND ELOPED TO BEGIN A NEW LIFE TOGETHER THAT LASTED FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS, MOVING THEM FROM NORTH CAROLINA TO UPPER NEW YORK STATE FOR THIRTEEN YEARS, BACK TO NORTH CAROLINA, AND LATER TO TENNESSEE.

PAT HAD NUMEROUS HOBBIES, AND WAS AN AVID READER, INTRODUCING HER CHILDREN TO THE LIBRARY AT VERY EARLY AGES, SHE HELD A STRONG BELIEF IN BEING INFORMED, AND WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE AND ARTICULATE ABOUT MANY TOPICS. SHE WAS A DESCENDANT OF SUSAN B. ANTHONY AND HELD STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND EQUALITY. ADDITIONALLY, IN HER YOUNGER YEARS, PAT WAS AN AVID OIL PAINTER, RENDERING PORTRAITS OF HER CHILDREN WHEN THEY WERE VERY SMALL. SHE NEVER VIEWED HERSELF AS AN ARTIST, HOWEVER AND OVER THE YEARS, HER WORKS WERE LOST. HOWEVER, MANY OF HER STITCHERY WORKS REMAIN AND ARE ENJOYED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY. HER SKILLS WERE NUMEROUS; WHILE LIVING IN TENNESSEE, SHE AND HER HUSBAND REMODELED AN OLD FARM HOUSE, THE THIRD HOUSE THAT THEY BUILT TOGETHER WITH MODEST HELP FROM OTHERS. PAT COULD DESIGN THE DRAPERIES AND ALSO SEW THEM; SHE WAS CONSTANTLY CREATING SOMETHING TO IMPROVE HER SURROUNDINGS AND THOSE OF OTHERS.

WHILE LIVING IN UPPER NEW YORK STATE, SHE HELPED HER HUSBAND DEVELOP ONE OF THE FIRST SUBDIVISIONS IN ALBANY NEW YORK. LATER, AFTER RETURNING TO NORTH CAROLINA AND BEING A PARTNER WITH HER HUSBAND, THEY OWNED MELTON’S GROCERY IN GLEN ALPINE, NC, AND WENT ON TO DEVELOP THE HOLIDAY SHORES SUBDIVISION ON LAKE JAMES.

ALWAYS ACTIVE, IN HER 70’S, PAT HELD A PART TIME POSITION AS A COOK FOR A GROUP HOME FOR CHALLENGED ADULTS. IT GAVE HER GREAT PLEASURE TO KNOW THAT SHE COULD PROVIDE HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS MEALS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE HOME.

PAT’S LOVE, HOWEVER, WAS GARDENING. SHE ADORED GROWING ROSES AND FLOWERS AND ENDEAVORED TO BE A GOOD STEWARD OF THE LAND, GARDENING ORGANICALLY. SHE PLANTED GARDENS EVERYWHERE SHE LIVED AND ENCOURAGED OTHERS TO GARDEN AND TO PLANT, OFTEN SHARING PLANTS WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY. BUT SHE REGARDED HERSELF AS A HOMEMAKER AND A FARMER.

PAT WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER BELOVED HUSBAND, JACK (BLAINE STAMEY) MELTON, HER PARENTS, ESTHER LOGAN ANTHONY AND AUBREY ANTHONY, AND HER BROTHER, JAMES ANTHONY.

SURVIVORS INCLUDE HER SONS, JAMES DURANT MELTON OF BRISTOL, TENNESSEE; AND ROBERT CHRISTIAN MELTON AND HIS WIFE TAMMY OF GLEN ALPINE, NC; HER DAUGHTER, KAREN BLAINE MELTON-MEHNER AND HER HUSBAND, RUDY MEHNER OF BUTLER, TENNESSEE, HER PRECIOUS GRANDCHILDREN, TRICIA MELTON BURGESS OF JAMESTOWN, NC AND MATTHEW STICKLES MELTON OF BOULDER, CO. HER SISTER, ROSEMARY YATES BRAUN OF MORGANTON, NC. SHE HAD SIX GREAT GRANDCHILDREN AND NUMEROUS NEICES AND NEPHEWS.

A MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD ON THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014 AT GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN MORGANTON, NC AT 3 PM TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OF PATRICIA ANTHONY MELTON. FATHER GARY PARKER WILL OFFICIATE BURIAL OFFICE RITES. A RECEPTION, HOSTED BY THE LADIES OF THE CHURCH, WILL FOLLOW THE SERVICE IN THE CHURCH PARISH HALL. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, PAT REQUESTED THAT DONATIONS BE MADE TO FRIENDS FOR ANIMALS, HUMANE SOCIETY OF BURKE COUNTY, 417 KIRKSEY DRIVE, MORGANTON, NC 28655

THE FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE TO THEIR MOTHER’S CAREGIVERS AND TO HOSPICE FOR THEIR COMPASSIONATE CARE.

ONLINE CONDOLENCES MAY BE SHARED WITH THE FAMILY AT WWW.MEMS.COM. VALDESE FAMILY FUNERAL CARE AND PERFECT PEACE CREMATIONS HAS THE HONOR OF SERVING THE FAMILY.