William J. (Joe)
Melvin, 90
William J. (Joe) Melvin passed away on Friday, April 16, 2021 at home.
He was born on January 13, 1931, on a farm west of Felton, Delaware, to Oliver and Laura Melvin.
At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Air Force. Although he was in the Air Force, he managed to graduate with the class of 1949 at Felton High School. After numerous assignments while in the Air Force (including the Korean and Cold War), he retired with 20 years of service in November 1967, as an inflight refueling tech for the KC-135s (Boomer).
In 1967, Joe married Betty Moss in Merced, California. They then moved to Austin, Texas, where he worked with the State's Comptroller Department. In 1971, Joe moved to Dover, Delaware. Here he owned and operated Melvin's Sunoco Station up until 1993. At that time after selling the business, Joe and Betty moved to Deming, New Mexico. They resided there for 22 years before moving back to Delaware.
In addition to his parents; Joe was preceded in death by his daughter, Rebecca; brothers, Charles, Elbert, Raymond, Dewain and Baasil Melvin.
Joe is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Betty; his children, Georgia, Amy (Paul) Moss, Vicki, William and Kevin Melvin; sisters, Mary, Kay, Maryland, Brenda, Delores and Helen; brothers, Henry and Carl Harvey; and grandchildren, Catherine, Veronica, Melanie, Mandy, Brian, Oliver and Isabel.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at Torbert Funeral Chapel South (1145 E. Lebanon Rd., Dover, DE 19901) at 2 p.m. Friends may call an hour prior.
In lieu of flowers the family asks contributions to be made to the Delaware Hospice, Dover Office (911 S. Dupont Hwy., Dover, DE 19901) or a charity of your choice. For those who cannot attend, the service will be livestreamed on www.torbertfuneral.com
Letters of condolence may be sent and guestbook signed at www.torbertfuneral.com