Jack William Melton Sr.

Jack William Melton, Sr., 83, of Powder Springs, Georgia, passed away on Monday, December 22, 2014. A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 5, 2015 at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Jack was born in Demorest, Georgia to the parents of Walter Marvin Melton and Lois Carter Melton. He graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute, (Auburn University) with a B.S. in Agriculture, 1951 and B.S. in Agriculture Administration, 1956, and was an avid Auburn Football Fan. He enlisted in the United States Navy and is a Veteran of the Korean War. He was an Aviation Ordnanceman Second Class Petty Officer, stationed at Pensacola, Florida, and served briefly on the USS Valley Forge. He was proud of his service to his country and loved to visit the areas around Pensacola, Florida were he was stationed. He worked as an accountant for most of his civilian life. Upon retirement from Hewlett Packard he and his wife followed his life-long dream to open a flowering plant nursery specializing in azaleas and rhododendrons. He discovered a previously unknown azalea species, which was named after him. To this day, the red beauty is known as the Jack Melton azalea. For decades he and his wife Winona belong to several plant and historical preservation societies. His great-grandfather was Samuel Troup Carter, Sergeant in the 14th Alabama Infantry, Company D that was organized at Auburn, Alabama, in July 1861. He collected historical artifacts especially from the Civil War along with 19th-20th century antiques. His passion for history inspired his son to become one of the nations leading authorities on Civil War artillery and a military artifact photographer. He always attended the Civil War shows and was a long-time member of the North Georgia Relic Hunters Association. He loved his Melton family heritage, kept up with genealogy and only missed a handful of family reunions since the 1930s. He was a loving, devoted father that always put his family first. He is survived by Winona Love Melton, his wife of 54 years, his son Jack W. Melton, Jr. and his wife Peggy M. Melton, his daughter Caroline Melton Ferguson and her husband Frank Ferguson, their daughters Sarah and Emily Ferguson, and his son Robert Troup Melton.

Jack William Melton Sr.

August 3, 1931 - December 22, 2014