Joyce Marie Melton (Blankenship) Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Joyce Melton passed into the presence of her Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ on October 27, 2013 at the age of 77. Joyce Marie Blankenship was born March 19, 1936 in Aldrich, Missouri. She was the fifth child of Leslie and Jessie Blankenship. She spent her early childhood on the family farm and had vivid and happy memories of farm life. Her parents passed away when she was just a child, and her older sister, Billie (Blankenship, Logan) Keeton took her and her brother Jerry into her home and raised them as her own. She graduated from Marion C. Early High School in 1954. She was active in student government and lettered in softball. She received awards for academic excellence and was offered a scholarship from the University of Missouri. Later that year, she moved to California where she met her husband, Delmar Melton. They had three children, Dale, Peggy & Guy. In 1959 they moved the family to Oregon where they settled in SE Portland. She was a homemaker for many years. She had vast and varied hobbies that included candle making, quilting, knitting, sewing, upholstering, cooking, baking, and gardening. She was an avid reader since childhood and at the age of ten began writing poetry. Many of her poems were published in newspapers and poetry magazines and she sometimes used her gift to speak to political and social issues. She loved writing poems for her family, her friends, or anyone she wanted to encourage. Poetry was her passion and was the voice she used to express her heart. She often worked or volunteered part time when her children were in school. This included selling Avon door-to-door, taking patients to appointments for SnowCap, helping neighbors with meals or childcare, managing local commodity food distribution, or just being available to share time with and pray for anyone in need. She worked at Ford Industries for a time working on an assembly line making Code-A-Phone answering machines. At Loaves and Fishes she prepared food to be delivered to the elderly. She finished her career at Marks Brothers, where she worked for thirty years, retiring in 2009 at the age of 73. In 1994, after nearly 40 years of marriage, her husband Delmar preceded her in death. Also preceding her were her brothers, Curtis, Nelson (Gene) and Jerry. She is survived by her sons; Dale (Cathy Jo) Melton, and Guy Melton; daughter; Peggy (Joe) DiCarlo; grandchildren Kevin Melton, Danny DiCarlo, Brian DiCarlo & Emilie DiCarlo; her sister, Billie Keeton, and many nieces and nephews.

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Joyce Marie Melton (Blankenship)

March 19, 1936 - October 27, 2013