Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Stebbins, Melbourne A. September 27, 1964
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Nan Wheaton wheaton1624@yahoo.com August 11, 2016, 11:59 pm

Sentinel-Standard - Monday, Sept. 28, 1964

                       Melbourne Stebbins Dies Here

Melbourne A. Stebbins, 52, Ionia board of education secretary and an Ionia 
finance firm and woman's apparel store president and manager, died suddenly at 
11:30 a.m. Sunday at his 216 East Main street home.

Ill during the night Saturday and Sunday morning after returning from the Ionia 
Country club where he had played golf, he was attended by his family physician 
at midnight Saturday. His death was attributed to a heart attack.

Born in Sheridan, December 13, 1911, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Allen E. 
Stebbins, he moved with his family to Ionia in 1919 when he was eight years 
old. His father established a funeral directorship which he operated for many 
years here.

Attending Ionia public schools, he accepted a position with the Michigan state 
highway department following the election of his father as lieutenant governor 
of Michigan in 1932. He remained in that position in Lansing for several years. 
Later in the 1930's he became identified with the Michigan Fidelity Corporation 
at its Ionia office where he remained several years before transfer to the 
Grand Rapids office. He later served as manager of the Grand Rapids office and 
was transferred to Ionia as the Ionia office manager.

He left that firm to enter the loan business with James Copeland in the 
Greenville Finance Company for a number of years. He founded his own finance 
firm in Ionia a few years later as the Ionia Finance Company. At the time of 
his death he was president and manager and principal stockholder. A few years 
ago he bought the Ionia Vogue Shop and formed a corporation of which he was 
president and manager. His son David is secretary and treasurer of the two 
corporations and office manager of the Ionia Finance Company.

Stebbins was serving his tenth year as a trustee of the Ionia city board of 
education and had completed two of his last four year term.

An ardent golfer, he had belonged to the Ionia Country club for many years and 
served that club as its president only a few years ago. He belonged to the 
Ionia County Fishing and Hunting club, the First Methodist church of Ionia 
where he had served as a lay leader and a member of that church board of 
trustees.

He was elected to directorship of the Ionia free fair several years ago and 
served as the fair's finance committee chairman. He was a director of a Mason 
finance firm and an Ionia Elks member. A long-time member of the Ionia Lions 
club he had served as the club's president. He was also a member of the Ionia 
Chamber of Commerce and was assistant secretary of the newly formed Ionia 
Industrial fund. 

A life-long Democrat, Stebbins had served in several capacities on the Ionia 
city and Ionia county Democratic committees including treasurer.

He was married April 26, 1941 in Ionia to Maraquita Steere of Belding. He 
served several months in the United States army in World War II and received a 
medical discharge.

Surviving are his wife, two sons, David of Ionia and Melbourne, Jr., at home; 
two daughters, Mrs. Suzanne Shellenbarger of Ionia and Julia Ann at home; a 
sister, Mrs. Blanche Monningh of Ionia; four brothers, Adelbert of Sheridan, 
Hyland of Lansing, and Leland and Max of Ionia; and two grandchildren.

Funeral services will be Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Ionia Methodist church with 
the Rev. Lester C. Bailey officiating. Interment will be at Easton cemetery.

A memorial fund for the First Methodist church is being established. Funeral 
arrangements are in charge of Boynton Funeral home. 

Additional Comments:
Funeral: Wednesday 30, September 1964
Easton Cemetery #323

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/s/stebbins33521nob.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/

File size: 4.2 Kb