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NEWLAND, N.C. — Melba Jeanette Franklin, of Three Mile Community, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, July 2, 2022, at the age of 73. Melba was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd and Pearl Franklin.
Melba is survived by three children, daughter Rebecca Alexander (Jeremy), Elizabethton, Tenn., daughter Teresa Blackwell (Chris), Reidsville, N.C., and son John Lowe (Jennifer), Marion, Va.; grandchildren Brianna, Andrew, Connor Alexander, Tony Kimbrell, Cheyenne Lowe, Josh Lowe and Kristen Moss (Dewayne); great­-grandchildren Skylar, Payton and Reggie; three sisters, Joyce Sellars, Linda Stillwell and Shirley Smith (Jesse;) and her beloved dog, Daisy. Also surviving is a multitude of nieces, nephews, and extended family who loved her dearly.
Melba spent her life caring for others as a dedicated and devoted nurse in the hospital and doctor’s offices in both Avery and Mitchell County over a span of approximately 50 years. She extended that same caring and compassion in caring for all those family and friends she helped throughout her life. She especially loved her children and grandchildren. Her greatest enjoyment was spending time with her children, grandchildren, sisters, and extended family. While she had many interests, some of the things she loved most were history, trains, westerns, genealogy, flowers, gardening, reading, traveling, music, animals and spending time on the family land, that was so dear to her. Above all else, the greatest gift she left behind was her love for God and her family. She knew the importance of being there for other people and lived a life that was dedicated to those beliefs. She will be greatly missed.
Funeral services for Melba will be held on Friday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at Altamont United Methodist Church. Interment will follow in the Pisgah Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.rsfh.net
The care of Melba and her family has been entrusted to Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home of Newland.