This page is in memory of my mother.  Included are some messages from my sister's website shortly after she died.  These will give a good idea of who she was and why she is missed.

If you are looking for genealogy information, please leave a comment (at the bottom of this page) and I will try to answer those questions to the best of my ability.  Also, if you knew Melba and would like to share any special moments or memories, please include those as well.  Thank you.

 

 

I met Melba in 1977, the year I married her brother-in-law, Wayne Duncan. A year or so later, after Wayne and I moved to Denison, Melba would come over and we would run around together, shopping and doing errands.

Both our families began to build our own houses at about the same time, so Melba and I had a lot in common to talk about as we planned our homes and dreamed of the future enjoyment they would bring.

Sadly, our hopes and dreams were never quite fulfilled. For one reason or another, neither house was ever fully completed, even though we moved in and lived in them for many years.

Mr. McAdams, the pastor who spoke at Melba's memorial service, was so right when he said her most outstanding attribute was her generosity. She was always willing to "go that extra mile" to help someone.

After I lost my husband to cancer in December 2001, Melba would call ever so often just to see how I was doing. She included me in family activities and gatherings. I would always drop by the farm and visit with her and Bill whenever I was on the way to the little country cemetery to visit my husband's gravesite.

Melba's one great passion was genealogy. She loved to talk about the subject with anyone who would listen. It impressed me how she could keep track of the many family lines, and how she was able to ferret out such incredible amounts of little-known information.

When I showed her a genealogy compiled years ago by one of my great-uncles, Melba was delighted. It didn't take her long to discover some names that led her to believe our two families may have been connected several generations in the past. I guess now we'll never know for sure, but I like to think that tie to my husband's family exists.

I miss Melba, and will continue to miss her. She was there for me in my darkest hours. I'm glad she was part of my life.

~~Linda
August 1, 2004

Not only was Melba my cousin, but most important she was my friend. Her Grandmother was my Mothers sister so we usually made at least one trip a year for Mom to visit her sister. When we would arrive I would immediately go to Skeet and Florines. I always felt so much at home in their home. Melba was 6 months older than myself and Peggy is about a year and a half younger. The three of us were very close. On those visits, in between the endless meals and homemade ice cream that was enjoyed at Aunt Retta and Uncle Al's house, the three of us were busy being girls. We would play paper dolls for days at a time. As I got older I would sometime stay on for a longer visit when my parents went home. I will never forget those years..

During the years that we were raising our families the visits were farther apart, but we still kept in touch. A few years ago my daughter moved to Lewisville. When she told me she was moving that far away from me, I had mixed feelings. I didn't want her to move, but I knew that I would get to visit with my favorite cousins more often, and that we have done.

Melba was one of the most generous people I have ever known.  She was always thinking of what she could do for someone else..

Melba loved her husband, children, grand children, brother, sisters and her genealogy work... she loved her family, her roots. That is why she was so passionate about the genealogy study she had taken on. She would be so excited about something she had found and would call me to tell me about it, I would try to keep it straight but I'm afraid I just didn't have the passion that she had...

I could go on and on but I can not put into words what a beautiful person that Melba was. She has left a void here on this earth that we will fill with the precious memories that we all have.

--Lolly
June 2004

In High School - Melba was my best friend. We spend much time together. A lot of that time was studying for tests.. She would either spend the night at my house or I would stay at hers. We watched "American Bandstand" and danced together. That is how we both learned to dance. I would lead, so after I got married and danced with my husband, he would get onto me for trying to lead.

Many week-ends during the summer our families would meet at the lake and picnic together. Melba taught me how to swim and float on my back.

Over all the years we kept in contact. For years by letter or phone, with a couple of visits. Six years ago I moved to Trenton which is only 15 miles south of Bonham. Since Melba lived about that distance in the other direction, we would meet in Bonham and have lunch together and reminiscence over old times. We had talked on the phone about two or three weeks before her death, planning to get together for lunch after school was out as I work for the Trenton ISD. I surely will miss her email's, phone calls and most of all our visits.

Her MEMORY will always be with me.

Louise
June 2004

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