Memorial services Robert L. Melton will be held Saturday, March 29, at 10 a.m., at Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor. Cmdr. Fred Renfroe, CHC, USN (Ret) will officiate. Full military honors will be provided under the auspices of the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Honor Guard. Cremation was held with private family inurnment to follow at a later date.

Robert L. “Bob” Melton, 68, died at Providence Hospital, Colby Campus, Everett, March 10, 2003, following a lengthy illness. He was born June 23, 1934, in Mount Vernon, Ill. He was raised by Lloyd and Capitola Newkirk in Harrisburg, Ill. Bob quit high school to join the U. S. Navy. He was married to the former Mary Otterbein in Virginia Beach, Nov. 7, 1964.

Bob Melton’s Navy career took him to Key West, Fla.; Port Layote, North Africa; NAS Oceana and two tours of Vietnam. He was transferred to NAS Whidbey Island from 1966 to 1970. He returned to Whidbey in 1977 for his final tour and retired Feb. 28, 1981 as an AQCS (E-8). His military awards include the Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals and Vietnam Service Medal with Gallantry Cross.

Following retirement, Bob went to work for Ford Aerospace in Tonopah, Nev., Western Geophysical in Houston and finally for Master Marine in Mount Vernon and Del-Jen Corporation at NAS Whidbey. Bob had a great love for the outdoors. He took great pride in teaching his sons to hunt and fish. He was also a private pilot and held his pilot’s license for many years. He was very proud of his Native American heritage.

Mr. Melton is survived by his wife Mary at the family home, Oak Harbor; by four children Robert L. Melton, Jr. of Oak Harbor; Ernest L. Melton of Fresno, Calif.; James A. (Donna) Melton of Oceanside, Calif., and Michael E. Melton of San Diego, Calif. He is also survived by two sisters, Rose Osborn of Arizona and Nina Golkie of Illinois and two grandsons, Robert Steven Melton of Oak Harbor and Shane Michael Melton of Oceanside, Calif., and his stepmother, Annabelle Melton of Madison, Wis.

This obituary is on-line at http://burley.plan4ever.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Burley Funeral Chapel, Oak Harbor.