Oct. 27, 1929 - Feb. 24, 2008
SPICER -- Ralph A. "Buster" Melbie, 78, of Spicer died Sunday at the VA Hospital in St. Cloud after an extended illness.
The service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Hope Presbyterian Church in Spicer. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in New London.
Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Green Lake Funeral Home in Spicer and for one hour prior to the service Thursday at the church.
He was born Oct. 27, 1929, in Spicer to Arthur and Ella (Ardoff) Melbie. He grew up and received his education in the Spicer community.
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From 1951 to 1955, he served overseas in the United States Army during the Korean War. He lived in New York and moved to Minnesota in 1975. He was employed for a brief time as a police officer in Minneapolis and then was employed as a truck driver for several construction companies in the New London-Spicer area. In 1977, he moved to the Jeffers-Windom area and was employed as an over-the-road truck driver. In 1983, he returned to Spicer and continued driving truck and was later self-employed with C & B Lawn Service in the New London-Spicer area.
He was a member of the New London American Legion post.
He is survived by eight children: David Melbie of New York, Cindy Melbie of Texas, Gayle Dean of Spicer, Wesley Melbie of New York, Ralph Melbie Jr. of Spicer, Elizabeth (and Dave) Hodge of New York, Lucy Edwards of Spicer and Tami Melbie of Jeffers; 18 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and a brother: Vernon (and Ardis) Melbie of Brooklyn Center.
He was preceded in death by two sisters.
