Gail E. Melton

Gail Melton obituary, Florida Times-Union (www.jacksonville.com), April 17, 2009

Gail Melton: 1930-2009: Not enough fingers, toes to tally her causes The longtime volunteer "never made an enemy," a close friend recalls.

Posted April 17, 2009 12:00 am - Updated April 17, 2009 10:28 am By Jessie-Lynne Kerr

Gail Melton, a volunteer extraordinaire who was in the middle of planning anything good for Arlington during the 40 years she lived there, died Monday of a massive heart attack. She was 78 and living in Lake City, where she and her now-late husband moved three years ago to be close to his family.

Private funeral arrangements have been made.

A native of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Mrs. Melton attended Vanderbilt University for two years. She traveled across Europe with her soldier husband, Tommy Melton Jr., until settling in Jacksonville in 1965. Her husband, to whom she was married for 50 years, died two years ago.

Before retiring in 1990, Mrs. Melton worked as an interior designer. But it was her volunteer work that got most of her energy. It started in 1984 when a friend convinced her to become a volunteer usher at The Florida Theatre.

"After that it just mushroomed," she said in a 2000 interview with the Times-Union. "You get to see a lot of good stuff and meet a lot of people from all walks of life and you become great friends with some of them. When one of us volunteers for something, we all do."

Among her volunteer activities: the Municipal Code Enforcement Board, PBS, Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, election poll worker, Jacksonville Symphony, Florida Theatre, the city's special events department, Greenscape, Greater Arlington/Beaches Citizens Planning Advisory Committee, University Park Civic Association, Greater Arlington Civic Council, Sheriff's Advisory Council, Jacksonville Jaguars Booster Club, Old Arlington Inc., Women's Health Forum, Greater Jacksonville Fair, Designers' Showhouse, Mark Brunell Foundation, Donovan Darius Children's Foundation, Bryan and Leah Barker Foundation, the father/son days at Alltel Stadium and the Arlington Road Town Center.

If a city official held a meeting on an issue concerning Arlington, Mrs. Melton would be there.

The only times she ever turned down a request to volunteer, she said, was if it conflicted with a Jaguars game. "The Jaguars are No. 1."

Even after moving to Lake City, she came back to attend all Jaguars home games.

Mrs. Melton had a special affinity for Fred Taylor and named her pet pug Taylor in his honor. Her other pets that she treated as family were a calico cat, Noel, and an African gray parrot, Boxcar, named for the late country singer Boxcar Willie.

Marcella Lowe was a friend for several decades and said Mrs. Melton got her involved in volunteering.

"Gail was the type of person that if you met her, she was your friend. She was very straightforward and a very determined, hard worker who never made an enemy," Lowe said. "Arlington was her love and she always tried to make the community better."

In 1998, Mrs. Melton received the Mayor's Good Neighbor Award for her volunteer work. She also received the Community Service Recognition Award in 1999 and was the CPAC District 2 Volunteer winner for 2002-2003.

She left no survivors.

jessie-lynne.kerr@jacksonville. com,

(904) 359-4374