Obituary of Reola Bradley Melton

Reola Bradley Melton 

Reola Melton was delivered from this life on March 4, 2021 at the age of 86. She was generous, loving, creative, determined, and courageous, and she left an indelible mark on all who knew her. 

Reola met life head on, never shying away from challenges or adventures. Married to the love of her life at age 15, as an Air Force bride, she traveled the world with him. At just 19 with a 2-year-old and never having been out of the country, she drove cross-country and boarded a ship to Japan, where they lived for two years and her younger son was born. They made their home in places as disparate as Tacoma, Washington, and Enid, Oklahoma, but she lived much of her life close to family in North Carolina before retiring to The Villages, Florida, where she was active in her church and enjoyed golf with friends.

Reola had a servant’s heart. She was an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Wildwood and was beloved at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen, where she served weekly. She hosted fellowship breakfasts and made various decorations/accessories for the church, including the altar cover. She also served as a Stephens Minister. While on extended visits to North Carolina, she supported the ministries of Macedonia United Methodist Church in Southmont, NC.  With her family, she was generous and giving, confidant and problem-solver. An accomplished seamstress with the brain of an engineer, she never saw something she couldn’t fix or make herself.  

Her family will remember her infectious laugh, her tight hugs, and that she never met a baby she didn’t love. She was preceded in death by her beloved siblings and by her husband of 55 years Earl Melton. She is survived by her sons Chuck (Florette) Melton and Jim (Sharin) Melton; granddaughters Kristin (Jeff) Montgomery, Whitney Melton, and Jennifer Melton; grandson Matthew (Kristen) Rittenmeyer, and seven great-grandchildren. 

Service will be held Friday, March 12, 2021 at 10:00 AM at HIERS-BAXLEY Funeral & Cremation Life Event Center, 3975 Wedgewood Lane, The Villages, FL  32162 * 352-775-7427; followed by graveside service at Highland Memorial Park, Ocala, FL where she will join her beloved husband Earl.  In lieu of flowers, the family recommends memorials be sent to Cornerstone Hospice, The Villages, FL.  Sentiments may be left online at www.hiers-baxley.com.