Melvin Henry Mcbride

Loving father, devoted husband and a man of God, Melvin Henry McBride died on May 3rd, 2021, in the city of Diamond Bar, California. He was in the company of his children, who literally held his hand as he took his last breath. His legacy will continue through his five children - Frances, Jimmie, Kathy, John, David, and his many grandchildren.

The speed at which Melvin passed was a surprise, probably because he never complained, and he always seemed to "bounce back" from any ailment. Just a week before he died, he was doing what he cherished most, socializing with family and having his favorite dinner, salmon with extra tartar sauce.
Melvin was born on a small farm in 1935 in De Ridder, Louisiana, to Jimmie and Thelma Lee (Williams) McBride. He had four brothers (James, Alton, Rayburn, and Kenneth) and two stepsisters, (Ruth and Iva-Lee). His childhood included lots of chores and a one-room schoolhouse. As a young man, Melvin ventured out to California where he met the love of his life, an Italian beauty named Amelia. They married and spent the next 51 years together until her death. Melvin never remarried and remained a widower for the remaining fifteen years of his life.

His work ethic was such a positive example to his children; he enjoyed working and always provided for his family. His first job was driving a truck. His boss at the time told him that he dressed too nicely to be a truck driver. Melvin pointed to the main office building and said, "I'm not going to drive this truck forever. I'm dressing to work in that office up there." And, indeed, his hard work was rewarded when he joined that office staff as a purchasing agent. After marrying Amelia, he worked as a buyer for an aerospace company and was proud to say that he purchased material that was fabricated to be used on the space shuttle. In 1993, he retired after more than 35 years with that company.

Knowing Melvin's work ethic, a friend from church who owned a mortuary asked Melvin to help him out. Initially, he would deliver flowers, drive families to services, and support people during their loss of loved ones. When Melvin's friend sold the mortuary, he was such a valued employee that he was asked to stay on and ended up working another twenty years after his initial retirement. Melvin was a man of faith and genuinely enjoyed providing comfort to families during tough times. When services were over and the flowers were to be thrown away, Melvin did not have the heart to waste such beautiful flowers; instead, he would bring them home to Amelia. She would proudly tell her children, "Look what Daddy brought me!" She did not care about their origin because she knew what was in Melvin's heart.

Every summer Melvin would take the whole family on a road trip to visit either his parents in Louisiana or the Parrish family in North Carolina. Some years he drove more than 6000 miles in a two-week span, visiting family in Louisiana, North Carolina and Philadelphia. Melvin and Amelia used to say, "We learned more about our children during those two weeks than we did all year!"

He will be remembered for his annual biblical reading of the Christmas story during the family's Christmas Eve celebration. After reading the Scriptures, he would quietly leave the room and then dress up as Santa Claus to distribute gifts to the family. He shone with excitement when he did this as he loved being around his family; this was his finest hour. He will also be remembered for his weekly presentation of jokes during breaks in his adult Sunday School class; practicing the delivery gave him purpose and motivation as he got older. He loved to laugh, and he laughed loudly and often.

Melvin always said the thing in his life of which he was most proud was his family. He will be remembered for his commitment to his family, his church and his faith. That commitment is reflected in his successful marriage to Amelia, his connection to his church and the enduring love of his family.

Melvin's Legacy will be honored during a Virtual Memorial via Zoom with the Evangelical Free Church ministry on May 23, 2021 at 6:00 PM, if you are interested, please leave your email on this memorial page or you can email john.mcbride2003@gmail.com