Duane Wesley Melton

On the evening of March 10th, 2024 Duane Wesley Melton passed away after a 3 ½ month long battle with Pancreatic Cancer. He died peacefully at his home with his family that he loved so much by his side. While we are left to mourn his passing, we rejoice knowing that he is with his Lord and Savior, and we will see him again.

Duane was born September 21, 1944, in Exeter, California to Willis Everett Melton and Neva Edgelee Moore. His family as well as other relatives had gone there on a work excursion from Oklahoma. His family returned to Oklahoma when he was 6-months old. When he was 4-years old, his family migrated to Deming, New Mexico.

In Deming, Duane attended Sunshine, Smith, and Bell elementary schools. He graduated with honors from Deming High school in 1962. While working part and full time, he attended New Mexico State University (NMSU) in Las Cruces from 1963 to 1969.

During one of Duane’s full-time work stints for a semester between his sophomore and Junior years at NMSU, he met the love of his life, Linda Gail Evans. They married at the First Baptist Church of Deming on December 18, 1965. He and Linda moved back to Las Cruces to finish his education. By June 1969, he earned both BS and MS degrees in Civil Engineering at NMSU. He accepted a job with Texaco, Inc. as an Environmental Engineer in their Port Arthur Texas Refinery.

 Duane worked 29-years with Texaco in various positions in refineries and refining and marketing headquarters in Texas and California. He enjoyed his work and was highly motivated to stay abreast of technical developments in the environmental field and provide support to management and the field. He took early retirement in 1998 while living in Moorpark, California. In 2012, Duane, Linda, Jessica, and granddaughter Brittany moved to Round Rock, Texas. He and Linda always enjoyed the hill country of central Texas when traveling.

Duane took up genealogy after retirement. He said that he had spent so much of his life doing technical engineering work that he wanted to develop the other side of his brain involving people and history. Genealogy was also intriguing for him to solve family mysteries. The best part was meeting other relatives to share information and stories.

Duane’s priorities in life were guided by God with the healing grace of Jesus Christ, love of family and friends, and desire to maintain our constitutional republic for the freedom of all. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Kenneth Cornell Melton, Weldon Willis Melton, James Edward Matkin  and Huel Rodger Melton; and by his sister, Laona Simmons. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Linda, daughter Jessica Melton, granddaughter Brittany Clark and her spouse, Tori Clark and great grandson, Boston James Clark.

His body was entrusted to the care of Broecker Funeral Home in Salado, Texas and he will be buried at a later date in Deming New Mexico. 

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