Melvin "Mel" Edward Tryon

Mel was born in Buffalo, NY, December 12, 1947, the son of the late Edward and Anna Tryon.

He served in the U.S. Army 1967 - 1970, continuing a family tradition shared by his father, brothers and son. He met his wife, Nancy, in 1968 while on active duty. They married two years later in Whitehall, Michigan and celebrated their 52nd anniversary on September 5, 2022.

He worked in the insurance industry for over 40 years. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of State University of New York at Brockport, he began working for the Travelers Insurance Company in Buffalo in 1973, then Manchester, NH, in 1976; Worcester, MA, in 1979; Salt Lake City, UT, in 1981; and Hartford, CT, in 1984. He came to Chattanooga in 1989 as Vice President of Provident General Insurance Company, later renamed Merastar Insurance Company. He and Nancy opened Signal Mountain Insurance Agency in 1992 and worked together until their retirement in 2014.

Throughout his life he was actively involved in industry and civic organizations, both educational and service related. He earned the professional designation, Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) in 1980 and the Life Underwriters Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) in 1995. He was the only insurance agent in the State of Tennessee to have attained these designations at that time. He served on the Board of Directors of CPCU in Hartford, CT and in Chattanooga, also as the Chattanooga Chapter President. He taught insurance classes, INS 21 and 22 and CPCU at Merastar Insurance Company and Chattanooga State as service projects. He served on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA-Chattanooga) from 1999 - 2006. He served as NAIFA President 2004 – 2005. In 1991 he was named “Boss of the Year” by the National Association of Insurance Women in Chattanooga.

He was happily involved in the sporting activities of his three children, coaching youth baseball, softball, basketball, and soccer. He served on the Board of Directors of Signal Mountain Youth Baseball, and the Hamilton Futbol Club youth soccer league. He served as League Coordinator for Signal Mountain Youth Baseball and one year as Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament Chairman. For nine years, 1999 – 2008, with help from Coach Russ Greer, he helped to organize and coach the annual Red Bank High School Girls Alumnae soccer game.

He also served in their school and community activities. He served on the initial Signal Mountain Middle School Site-based management committee. He served as Treasurer of the Signal Mountain Middle School Sports Boosters and later as Boosters President. He also served as: Race Director for the Tour de Mountain bike race; on the Board of the Mountain Education Fund during its’ second and third years; and five years on the Board of Mountain Recreation, Inc.

For nine years he spent his Monday nights as a volunteer, teaching Bridge Classes at Bachman Community Center as a fund-raising activity for Bachman.

In February 2000 he joined the Signal Mountain Lions Club and served in many capacities including: Tail Twister, Membership Chair, Secretary, Vice-President three terms, President, and as a member of the Board of Directors over ten years. He served as Chairman of the 4th of July Barbecue and Chairman of the Haunted Monster Barn. He also served annual terms as Zone Chairman, four times, and Region Chairman three times, working with other clubs in the Chattanooga area. He also served as 1st and 2nd Vice District Governor, then as District Governor 2014 – 2015 working with all thirty-nine Lions Clubs in the District. Other District levels duties included: Global Leadership Team Chairperson, District Ethics Committee Chairperson, District Awards Committee Chairperson, District Election Committee Chairperson, Board Member for the Lions Kid Sight screening program for five years, Chairman of the District’s “Club Excellence” Program including onsite training in four different clubs, Board Member of the Hamilton County Eye Bank, and President of Sight Restoration, Inc., which provides funding and direction to individuals needing cataract surgery to restore their sight. He and Nancy also served on the Southeast TN Seniors MyRide program from its’ inception till his hospitalization in 2020, taking seniors twice a month to doctor and other appointments as needed. In March of 2021 he was inducted into the Tennessee Lions Hall of Fame.

He was preceded in death by his parents and eldest brother Mike.

Survivors include spouse Nancy; sons Justin (Becky) Tryon, Chelmsford, MA; Jeremy (Jamie) Tryon, Winder, GA: daughter Julie (Richard) Conyer, Hixson, TN; grandchildren Mary, Amelia, Lexi, Elizabeth, Madeline, Andrew, and Eli; sisters Marcia Tryon, Henrietta, NY, and Madeline Augustine, Orchard Park, NY; brother Marv (Kathy) Tryon, Buffalo, NY; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 1 to 3 pm on Sunday, December 11, at The Point Church at Signal, 939 Ridgeway Ave., Signal Mountain, Tennessee 37377.

A Celebration of Mel’s life will follow at 3 pm on Sunday at the church with Pastor Gregg Hauss officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made in Mel’s name to The Point Church at Signal, Signal Mountain Lions Club, or Hospice of Chattanooga.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com.

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.