May the memories of Aunt Mel give you peace and comfort in the days ahead.

Many of my favorite childhood memories are of times I spent in Big Pine with Donna, Aunt Mel and Uncle Dave.  The first time I ever went camping, Aunt Mel, Donna and I went up to Convict Lake.  Aunt Mel had heard about an escaped prisoner being seen there the week before.  She still wanted to go, but being a resourceful woman and not afraid to use a weapon, she brought along a BIG knife.  Once we set up our tent, Aunt Mel took out the knife and put it under her sleeping bag.  She told us that she had it in case anyone tried to get into our tent.  I was afraid that if I had to leave the tent to go to the bathroom during the night, she'd mistake me for an intruder!  Luckily, once I fell asleep, I slept through the night. 

I am so grateful for those summers in Big Pine, and for the memories I will have for the rest of my life.

Thank you for being at the service, entering messages in the guest book and sharing my mother's life. After looking at many old pictures and I wrote a short Biography and added some of our favorite pictures which are available on this web site.   Pastor Horning presided over a wonderful service and the family thanks him.
The pictures reminded me that my Mom had a wonderful life full of adventure and love.  She was  raised by German parents (Meta and Herman Hinz) and then by Meta alone after her father died in a train crash.  Melba and her 3 sisters (Carol, Elaine, Rose) helped Meta with the chores and they all finished school. They remained in close contact after two sisters moved to California and two sisters stayed in Minnesota. The California family had many enjoyable times with the Minnesota family.
Melba had two wonderful husbands. She married Dave Davis in 1939 and Hal Reger in 1984. Dave, my father, built her two houses, one for the two of them and then one for the three of us after I was born.  We went picnicking, hiking, caving and fishing with their dogs. I could bait a hook by the age of three. Red, Dave's brother, his wife Bobby and daughter Laurel visited often and enjoyed the mountains. Laurel reminded us of the exciting camping trips that we had. We enjoyed spending Christmas with them and Melba's sister Carol. 
Hal met my Mom at the Big Pine United Methodist church. They enjoyed singing their favorite songs in church and Hal enjoyed my Mom's cooking. They both liked to fish and travel across the country visiting family and friends in their motorhome. Putting on waders and fishing in Rock Creek Lake with Clancy and later Tiger in her creel was one of Mom's favorite thing to do.   Both Jessica and Ricky had fishing training on Baker Pond and many other lakes and creeks where Grandma and Mom helped them catch fish. 
When the motorhome became too much for Hal, they bought a winter trailer home in Yuma. They spent several months in Redlands with us before returning to Big Pine. We had lots of enjoyable family dinners, trips to local Casinos and excursions to the local mountains, to San Diego and Los Angeles for UCLA basketball and football games.  They enjoyed many family events and adventures with Bob and Thecla Strong, Rick's parents and all the nieces and nephews from her family and the Strong family. 
When driving became too much in their 80's, Hal and Mom moved to an assisted living  place in Jamestown, CA near Hal's daughter. We visited and took them to local lakes and mountains and on a trip to San Francisco.  When Hal passed we brought Mom to Golden Meadows near us so we could visit and she could attend family functions.  Jessica, Max, Jordan and recently Xander, Richard, Qing  and recently Kiddo (on the way) were able to visit her at Golden Meadows. The people at Golden Meadows were great to her and our family really appreciated their help.  She called her room her home and teased them to the last. She said that they treated her like a baby but said that she liked it. 
This summary speaks to the great life she had and the fun she had experiencing it with all of us.

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Melba D. Reger

21 mai 1917 – 7 janvier 2014

Weaver Mortuary and Crematory

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