Melba Blount

Melba Lorraine Blount, faithful wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend and follower of Jesus Christ, passed into eternal life on Sunday, June 10, 2018, at Dominion Senior Living in Hixson. She was born Aug. 5, 1926, in Washington County to the late John Columbus Lingafelt and Florence Bowman Lingafelt. She was also preceded in death by five brothers and sisters. After graduating Unicoi High School in 1944, Melba traveled by train to Washington D.C. and went to work for the FBI – her part in the war effect. Later she worked in Oak Ridge at the K-25 plant. She worked for many years as a secretary/bookkeeper at Rhea Tool and Die in Dayton. Melba married Charles Luther Blount of Ten Mile in 1947. They moved to Tulsa, Ok., but after eight years returned to Tenn., first to Athens and then to Dayton in 1965. Charles died in 2005. Upon moving to Dayton, Melba and Charles became very active members of Dayton First Baptist Church. Members of the Joyful Helpers Sunday School Class were among her dearest friends. She was also active in Sunset Garden Club for more than 50 years, winning flower design awards until her late eighties. The National Federation of Garden Clubs recognized her with a Life Membership. She is survived by her children Janice Blount (Bill) Stiles and John Charles (Gale) Blount; her grandchildren Lesley Stiles (Daniel) Scearce and John Whitney (Sarah) Stiles; her step-granddaughter Holli Hubbard (Mike) DeAntonio; and five great-grandchildren Sam, Charlie, Oliver, August and Pen. She derived great joy from her family and deeply loved them all. The family will receive friends on Thursday, June 14, after 4 p.m. at Vanderwall Funeral Home in Dayton. A funeral service will begin at 6:30 p.m., with interment to follow at Rhea Memory Gardens. The family and Wayne Myers will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be the Joyful Helpers Class and Sunset Garden Club. Please share your memories of Melba on her online guest register at www.vanderwallfh.com . A special thanks to the staff of Dr. Tom Bovine, Dominion Senior Living of Hixson and Hearth Hospice, who will be family forever. Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home, P.O. Box 2206, Brentwood, Tenn. 37204.