Janice Gibson

Adair Funeral Home - Avalon

Just Cremation

Duane Gemaehlich

Melvin Durkee

Legacy Funeral Home

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Melvin C. Durkee was born in Tabor, Iowa in Mills County on December 24, 1921. He grew up in the small town of Pacific Junction, Iowa and graduated from high school there in 1941.  Melvin served in World War II in Iran. He was in the Railroad Battalion there for about three years. Before leaving for service he married Darlene Wilcox on June 1, 1942. When he returned from the service, they resided in Glenwood, Iowa for a short time. They then moved to Rock Island, Illinois where they lived for 31 years.  Melvin began working for the Burlington Northern railroad while he was still in high school. He worked as a machinist and railroad mechanic for about forty years, including 31 years in Rock Island, Illinois and 3 years in Galesburg, Illinois. He retired in 1981 and lived sixteen years in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He and his wife Darlene moved to Gilbert, Arizona in 1997.  In 1948, his first daughter Darla was born. Darla married Frank Caruso, and gave Melvin seven grandchildren. Darla and six of her children and their families live in the Chicago area, and one granddaughter lives in Colorado with her husband and son. Melvin’s second daughter, Deonna, was born in 1951. She married Jim Kaminski, and they had five children, all of whom live in Arizona with their families.  Melvin loved working on the railroad. He spent a lot of time helping others and enjoyed camping, a hobby he shared with his wife for twenty-two years. He took his grandchildren fishing, boating, and on cross-country camping trips. He also took them to get donuts and showed them where Grandma’s homemade cookies were hiding. Melvin loved his family and was a wonderful Christian man.  Melvin passed away December 29, 2019 at the age of 98. Preceding him in death were his parents, two infant siblings, his brother George Durkee, and sister Wanda Swisher. His wife Darlene passed on to heaven in August 2013, his daughter Deonna Kaminski in May 2005, and his son-in-law Frank Caruso in April 2019. Melvin is survived by his sisters Elta Sandell, Doris Aughe, and Dorothy Sahlstein, and daughter Darla Caruso. Also surviving are his son-in-law Jim Kaminski, twelve grandchildren, and more than twenty great-grandchildren.  Melvin’s public memorial service will be held at Legacy Funeral Home in Mesa. A family graveside service will be held at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, where he will be laid to rest next to his wife of 71 years.

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Melvin Durkee Obituary | Altogether