John Leroy Mellott

John Leroy Mellott was born on June 28, 1940 to Lester and Madeline Mellott in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He passed away on July 2, 2026 of congestive heart failure. John spent the first 21 years of his life working on his parents’ farms near Carlisle with his siblings, managing a dairy cattle herd, as well as beef, swine and poultry. After graduating from Boiling Springs High School in 1958, John got a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Dickinson College in Carlisle, before doing graduate school studies and research at the University of Delaware, Purdue University, Ohio State University, University of Hawaii, and Oregon State University.

John met his wife, Theresa Gail (Marsonette) Mellott, at Oregon State University in 1966, who was a student there as well. They got married in 1968 in Springfield, Oregon. John was employed by the Oregon State University Extension Service in Multnomah County from 1968-1977, then by the Oregon State Department of Agriculture until his retirement in 1999.

Theresa and John both had a zest for adventure, and took numerous trips to remote parts of the world, including a research project in the Amazon Jungle of Peru where they lived with the Quechuan Indians while doing research on Macaws. John also made a journey to Antarctica and visited the Antarctic research facilities of Russia, Ukraine and Great Britain.

Their other passions together were gardening and ballroom dancing. Theresa’s gardening focus was on producing vegetables for the table, while John raised a multitude of flowers, in particular 145 varieties of daylilies. Together they grew kiwi, persimmon, blackberry, blueberry, elderberry, raspberry, apple and plum fruits for their own consumption.

In 1999 they organized a group of people who had a love for ballroom and Latin dancing. The group met at their home once a month, and danced on a portable dance floor in their shop. The group was still meeting in 2026.

John also had a passion for shells and fossils. As an active member of the ‘Oregon Shell Club’ for many years, he was able to amass a sizeable collection of shell and fossil species. The Oregon Shell Club meets every month to learn about shells, to share ideas and information and to trade shells.

John is survived by his wife, Theresa, two sons, André and Chad Mellott, André’s wife Katie Mellott, Katie’s two sons, Liam and Milo Betts and his granddaughter Madeline Mellott. He is also survived by two sisters, Elva Jane (Mellott) Handshew and Mary Etta (Mellott) Zelger, and their families in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. John Is preceded in death by his sister, Janice, and brothers, Jay, Ronald and Clarence, all from Carlisle.

In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to offer a token of memory is encouraged to make a donation on John’s behalf to South Salem Senior Center 6450 Fairway Ave SE, Salem, Oregon 97306 in person or by mail (online not available).

A celebration of life for friends and family will occur at the Elks Lodge in Salem at 1:00 pm on Saturday, August 29th. (2336 Turner Rd SE, Salem 97302)