Son, brother, uncle, Marine, Firefighter, husband, father and friend.

We are here to celebrate the life and legacy of Melvin Richard Watson.

Melvin was a gentle breeze in the storm of life. He could always find something good in life even when times were bad. He once said when someone passed away he looked forward to attending the funeral service. While he always grieved for the family that lost a loved one, it also felt like a reunion since he got to be spend time with his family and friends. That’s what we’re doing here today, reuniting with loved ones with a common bond of the loss of a loved one.

Melvin was many things to many people. He was a father, uncle, hunter, story teller and a kid at heart.

As a father he was a family man who worked hard. But in his spare time he was a creator of things from his youth. Once he built a fighting shield out of a cooking pan top. He attached leather straps to the back of it to have a place to put his arm. He hung bird feathers from it and spray painted it black. Now he was ready for battle. That was Melvin, a kid at heart, he was 75 at the time.

Anyone who knew Melvin knew he loved to hunt. But it was less about hunting and more about the solitude he gained from sitting alone in the woods. He loved the feeling of a breeze on a cool fall day as the leaves gently rustled around on the forest floor. He enjoyed the sun as it streaked through the trees. All the while reminding him of the fall days he spent as a child raking leaves with his sister.

His childhood memories brought warmth and comfort to him during difficult times. He often spoke of his mother, father and sisters, whom each in their own individual way, would go on to help shape him into the man he would become.

Above all Melvin loved his family, not just his immediate family but his sisters, brothers and their families. When they were going through good times, he celebrated. When they were going through bad times, he felt the pain in their hearts and mourned.

We hope he left a lasting impression on those he loved because he loved all of you deeply. Thank you for sharing your lives with Melvin, it meant so much to him.