Cleophus C. Melvin Sr.

Cleophus C. Melvin Sr., 78, of Mt. Pleasant passed away Monday, May 19, 2008 at the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw after a brief illness. His service will be held at the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Rd., Mt. Pleasant, on Saturday, May 24, at 2 p.m. with Father Thomas J. McNamara officiating. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the service begins. He will be laid to rest next to his wife in Santa Fe National Cemetery in New Mexico next week where a separate funeral with military honors will be held. Memorial contributions may be made to the Norval K. Morey Cancer Center at Central Michigan Community Hospital. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Cleophus was born Aug. 14, 1929, in Elizabeth, NC, the son of Emerson Melvin and Mary Shirley. He was married to Rita Melchor for 45 years until her death in 1995. He retired as a Master Sergeant from the U.S. Air Force after 25 years of service. During that time he served during the Vietnam War and lived in many different places. The last 35 years he has lived in Mt. Pleasant. He received his bachelor degree from Central Michigan University and also served as an administrator at the university for over 10 years. He recently was to receive his Ph. D. from Michigan State University where he also earned his masters and specialist degrees. Besides being a member of the American Legion and VFW, Cleophus was an avid sports fan, more notably, handball, racketball, and golf. But most important in his life was spending time with his family, who describes him as a very friendly, generous, and loving man. Cleophus is survived by six children, Cleophus (Delia) Melvin Jr. of Cochiti Lake, NM, Dennis Melvin of Pennsylvania, Cynthia Melvin-Zenon of Mt. Pleasant, Cedric Melvin of Mt. Pleasant, Perry (Debbie) Melvin of Grand Rapids, and Darlene (Michael) Melvin-Wright of Madison Heights; six grandchildren, Elicia, Jasmine, Desiree, Clee, Joseph, and Gilbert; and two sisters. Besides his wife, Rita, Cleophus was preceded in death by his parents and a son, Joseph in 1969.