Maxine Melton

Loving wife, mother and friend went to be with the Lord on March 18th,2021. Maxine was born on October 18th, 1927 in Shidler Oklahoma to Herman Ernest and Lena (Caldwell) Ernest. Maxine moved with her father and brother Boyd to Oregon in the 1930s. Maxine worked as Usherette/Cashier at the Elsinore Theater in Salem, a Grocery Clerk at the M&F Market, as a telephone operator and a fountain clerk.

Maxine received her high school diploma from Independence high school.  This is where she met her husband to be Robert “Bob” Melton. After Bob returned from serving in WWII Bob and Maxine were married in 1945. They were married for 69 years until Bob passed away in 2014. They had four children, Randy, Debra, Marty and Jennifer. Randy and Jennifer preceded their parents in death.

Mom was a creative and artistic individual that used her many talents to sew blankets, baby clothes and school clothes for her children and grandchildren. She turned our house into a home with handmade quilted blankets and objects of beauty. She has left her legacy with many wonderfully made ceramics, macramé, stained glass, oil paintings and photo albums. She was the family historian and made a photo album for each of her children that chronicled their ancestors and their childhood.

She cooked many great meals and deserts for her family and friends using produce that she and Bob raised on their small acreage. She was known for her chocolate fudge, blackberry cobblers and fruitcake just to name a few.

She leaves a legacy of the greatest generation and she will be greatly missed by her children, grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.