Added by: J.D. Larimore
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Melvin Thomas Ware, age 92, a WWII Veteran passed away unexpectedly November 1, 2013 and went to join his wife of 59 years, Inez, who passed away in 2006. Melvin was born 20th October 1921 on a ranch in upper Ollala to James Melvin Ware and Nellie Ware (Fisher), a Douglas County pioneer family. Melvin attended grade school at the upper Ollala school. Mel went to Camas Valley High School where he played baseball four years, was junior class president, and captain of the basketball team his senior year. Mel also played four years junior legion baseball. Mel graduated in 1940.
In 1942 Melvin joined the U.S. Navy where he served at the Lighter-than-Air Base in Santa Ana, California. Mel took amphibious training at Port Hueneme, shipped out on the USS Argillr for invasion of the Marshall Islands in 1944, he was stationed on Perry Island in a repair unit for landing craft until shipping out on the new aircraft carrier USS Hornet to Pearl Harbor, and then shipped back to mainland on the carrier USS Saratoga. Melvin was discharged in January 1946. Melvin married the love of his life Inez Mae Kirry on March 2, 1947. They had two sons; Wayne Thomas Ware and Bruce James Ware. Mel worked in the logging business until 1952, and then went to work for Vern Green Construction, then M&K Construction working on the North Umpqua power project for COPO Power and Light.
Mel then went to work for R.A. Briggs and Sons at Briggs Camp at Trap Creek as a cat skinner building Forest Service roads, Mel was head skinner, putting the finishing grade to the roads. Some of the Forest Service roads that he built were Fish Creek, Trap Mountain, Bear Creek, Warm Springs, Windigo Pass, Rhododendron Ridge Road from Big Camas Road to French Junction and other roads until 1962 when he started running yarder.
In 1963 Mel went to work for Hanson Brothers Logging building roads and yarding logs, he built the Basket Butte Road to Loafer Creek, Rough Creek to Dog Prairie, Thorn Mountain roads and others. He worked for Arnold Hanson for seven years, all of the above roads are on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. Mel then worked for Roger Iverson, then Bruce Briggs building more roads on the Siskiyou, Willamette & Malheur National Forest.
In 1973 Mel was hired as a heavy equipment operator by Pacific Power at Toketee. In 1984 he became working Foreman at Prospect Oregon Hydro project and retired from Pacific Power in 1988.
Mel & Inez and their two Pomeranians, Happy & Dusty, took up traveling in their motor home, touring Alaska twice, Canada, and the lower U.S. They have seen every National Park from the Mississippi River west to the Pacific Ocean. They enjoyed hunting and fishing. In their younger years they owned a ski boat and the family could be found during summer weekends water-skiing at Lemolo Lake. Mel was able to go deer and elk hunting for the 2013 season before he passed on.
Melvin was preceded in death by his wife Inez Ware, his parents, brother-in-law J. Winter and sister Lucille Winter.
Melvin leaves two sons; Wayne T. Ware of Idleyld Park, Oregon and Bruce J. Ware of Glide, Oregon. Three granddaughters; Kyana Jones (Darin) Myrtle Creek, Oregon, Katrina Burke (Jamie) Roseburg, Oregon, Kristin Hellenthal (Isaac Adevai) Roseburg, Oregon. Nine great-grandchildren, and sister-in-law Juanita Fasolette. Numerous nephews and nieces.
We would like to thank his neighbor Arlene Quimby for keeping watch over Melvin in the years after mom passed on. At the family’s request, no service will be held.
Please visit www.wilsonschapeloftherosesfh.com to leave fond memories or condolences for the family.
Source: Wilson’s Chapel of the Roses, on-line
