D. John Mellom Jr. Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

John Mellom, affectionately known to his family as “Boppy,” passed away July 22nd, surrounded by his devoted wife Helen and family. Darrell “John” Mellom, Jr. was born on December 20, 1932, and died 22 July 2022 in Freeport. Son of Darrell J. Mellom, Sr. and Edith Cantrill Mellom; big brother of Sara Mellom (Bill) Hebbel of Hilton Head, SC; and the late Georgia Mellom Carlson and David Mellom. Along with his loving partner of 67 years, he was the patriarch of a big brood which included his children, Katie Paige (Keith) of Basel, Switzerland; Mike Mellom of La Crosse, WI; Erin Dahms (Bob) of Freeport; Marcy Folgate (Bob) of Freeport; and Andrea Monteleone (Chris) of Landing, NJ. He was Boppy (Grandpa) to 10 and Great-Boppy to 5. A son and grandson of hardworking bricklayers, he followed their work ethic managing three paper routes by the age of ten, and later took up their profession, establishing his own successful mason construction firm. He was a gifted and creative craftsman, respected for his talent, integrity and dependability. The artist was also an adventurer. Entering the Air Force at 19, he did a stint in Kansas City, the home of his one true love, Helen Marie Kostelac. They were engaged just in time for him to ship out to the wilds of Fairbanks, Alaska. Within a few months he persuaded his girl to brave the unknown, leave her family and go north, where they married in 1955. His insatiable curiosity made him an enjoyable conversationalist. He was always fascinated by the profession he didn’t know and the places he hadn’t been. He’d rather learn about you than brag about himself. His hunger to learn led us to so many obscure and interesting locations from Galena’s lead mines to the tide pools of Corpus Christi. We counted the hours as he moonlighted taking flying lessons, waiting to take flight with him. He loved to take the Cessna out for a spin, like regular dads took the car for a Sunday drive. We see him everywhere we look: in the many elegant buildings he erected, his flourishing garden and the countless weird and ridiculous inventions he imagined over the years (like the PVC birdfeeder filler or the squirrel buster). He was a trusted friend who frequently volunteered to build a house, fix a widow’s plumbing or build an entire wall of cubes for his granddaughter’s first graders. He offered his skill and ingenuity quietly and modestly. He had a reputation as an industrial-strength kind of guy, who believed anything worth doing should be done with concrete, rebar and copious amounts of zip ties. He gave new meaning to the word, “robust,” which carried over into his quest to produce the perfect loaf of bread. His kitchen was a machine shop of bakery arts routinely producing loaves by the dozens, liberally distributed around town and providing a kind of religious experience for his many devotees. His retirement years were spent on two wheels. A good day was a 30-mile bike ride with his best girl, on the lookout for an oversized sweet roll. His newly found transportation gave him a fertile canvas for ever more peculiar mechanical innovations which turned his bicycle into a freakishly tall, heavily-padded patchwork of parts. His family is eternally grateful to the caring and capable hands of the staff of FHN Hospice, especially Mark-the-bomb.com, purveyor of tender loving care, a good joke, a wise word and a steady stream of silly socks. They made it possible for Dad to pass in the arms of his beloved, at home. What a gift. We thank you. You are welcome to join us in remembering him on Saturday, July 30th, at Grace Episcopal Church, 10 S. Cherry Ave in Freeport. There will be a visitation at 10:00, memorial service at 12:00, followed by a lunch. A memorial has been established in lieu of flowers.

D. John Mellom Jr.

December 20, 1932 - July 22, 2022