LIFE SKETCH OF MELVIN "J" CURTIS
by his son Kelly "J" Curtis
Melvin "J" (Mel) Curtis was born June 28, 1920 in San Jose, Arizona to Ammon and Mary Jane (Slade) Curtis. He was the 9th of 9 children. (San Jose, Arizona, is a suburb of Solomonsville, which is a suburb of Safford about 150 miles east of Mesa)
At age 88 Mel passed away on March 17, 2009 in Mesa, Arizona. He is predeceased by his sweetheart wife of 69 years, Carmen Kelly, and a daughter Marilyn Kay (Suzie). He is presently survived by his six children: Kelly J (married to Danelle Jarvis), Patricia Ann (married to Farrell Jensen), Judith Lynn (married to Ron Everett), Candace Marie (married to Gordon Flitton), Karen (married to Noel Allen), Jonathan Slade (married to Joyzelle Wade), a sister Thelma Carpenter of Thatcher, Arizona, and a brother, Fred Curtis of Mesa. At Dad's passing he has 38 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren.
He was affectionately known as "Mel" to his friends and relatives, as "Uncle Mel" to his nephews and nieces, as "Bampa" to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Learning to be responsible and dependable came early and strong in Dad's life as a result of growing up and living the life of a farm and ranch child. There were always cows to milk, hogs to feed, horses to be taken care of, chickens to feed, a garden and a farm to plant, till, and harvest.
When Dad was about 8 years old he went with his father, Ammon, to Safford to buy a pickup. They went to the only place in town that had a vehicle to suffice their farm and family needs. During the time Ammon was talking price and such with the salesman, Dad noticed a girl wandering around the showroom he thought to be a couple of years younger than he was. All of a sudden she ended up in the driver's seat of the pickup. Calling her by name the man selling the pickup beckoned the little girl to come to him. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and repeated three times, no, no, no. Mel's Dad thought she was just as cute as could be and went over to the car door and smiling at her said something to her. She seemed to immediately feel affection for Ammon and jumped up and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gently put her down and the two men then went into the office to finalize the deal for the pickup and the little girl ran off into a kitchen like room where Dad (Mel) followed her. They playfully sniped back and forth at each other, Dad thinking she was kind of a little brat. Finally he told her, "You just watch and see, I'm going to marry you some day." They only saw each other a few times over the next few years just in passing at town events, but she would always remind him of what he told her. Oh, did I forget to tell you that the man that sold Ammon that pickup was E. L. Kelly and the little girl name was Carmen.
One night at a dance when Carmen was 16 and Mel was 18, Carmen reminded him again of what he said to her on that fateful day some 10 years earlier and said to him, "So when are you going to marry me?" Something many of us have learned over the years: you don't through a challenge at my Dad's feet. He told her "right now, tonight."
As most of you know Dad and Mom ran away and got married that night and they tried to keep it a secret from their parents. Each of them continued living at home with their parents. Dad's mother knew by the look on his face, and the way he acted when she confronted him the next day, that he had probably ran away and got married. She didn't point blank ask him but she just knew, as a mother might. Dad was working nights on a baler that required 2 men sitting on each side of the baler passing wire through the compacted hay in the cylinder to wrap the hay in bales. Several nights after they were married Dad was on the baler and saw the headlights of a car coming towards them through the field. He knew right then who it was and that somehow Carmen's parents had found out. Yes it was Carmen's parents with Carmen. Her parents were never angry with them only disappointed; they simply loved then and threw their whole support behind them.
Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility was later taught to his children in the same ways that he learned.
From one of Dad's entries in February 4, 1982:
"My wife, Carmen, had just moved into the newest and nicest home in the Safford valley. She left that beautiful home to move onto a ranch without electricity, running water, city sewer, or any of the town's other conveniences. This, ‘Because we knew we could make a go of it.'
She was my helpmate from the very beginning of our marriage. She never, not one time, ever complained about what she did not have. Fresh out of the city at 16 years old she herded hogs with a baling wire whip in the pastures while I worked at night for 4 months in a cotton gin. We hauled garbage from two CCC camps to feed the hogs. She would physically hold the cattle or hogs in the corals while I branded, docked, and doctored them.
Early on we set a goal to own 1000 acres of farmland in 30 years and we were willing to give it everything we had and could muster, and to give what ever hard work, sweat, and long hours it would take."
Mel and Carmen started their life together in the Gila Valley in 1939 moving here to Mesa in 1942 and living here the rest of their lives. Dad's brother Fred with his wife Emeline also moved to Mesa and together Mel and Fred started hog raising and farming. One day while working in the field Dad was startled as he distinctly heard his fathers voice (who was bed-ridden with cancer in Thatcher) say "Mel come here. I need you now." As some of us would, he shook it off and continued working. Again he heard his fathers voice but a little stronger. "Mel, come here. I need you now." He sought out his brother Fred and shared his experience. Fred told Dad, "Then you must go right now, I'll take care of things here." When Mel arrived at his Dad's bedside in Thatcher, his Dad said, "What took you so long." It was then he learned that he was to sell the family farm, pay all the bills and use the rest to care for his Mother. And that he did for the rest of her life. Only a few days later his father passed away.
Mel and Carmen built their first "real" home on their 40-acre farm on East University when East University was a mere two-lane dirt road. Of their several residential moves I heard them say that they have each time moved closer to the cemetery, but that with their last move they couldn't move any closer to the cemetery without moving into it.
Mel was a very successful farmer/rancher all of the years he was involved in tilling the earth and raising live-stock, having farms in Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Blythe, Yuma, and Agua Caliente, He not only truly loved tilling the earth and raising and caring for animals, he was very good at what he did. And, it was not uncommon that at almost any given work season in the 1950's you could find a piece of Mel's farm equipment working on an LDS church farm somewhere in the valley never seeking or receiving monetary compensation. He always called it his "labor of love."
Besides farming they always had horses and it was not uncommon in the 1940's to find Mel and Carmen on their horses moving a herd of cattle from pasture to pasture sometimes using Mesa's Main street. For several years in the 1950's you could find their "for sale" ads in the Tribune for the devastating "wooly worms." In Dad's later years he could be found delivering sweet peas from his garden to widows, family, to the lowly in heart, and many friends.
Some of Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility were instilled in the lives of his children. Some of those principles are "just duck you head and get at it and get the it done," "if its worth doing, its worth doing right," "respect others and their possessions and properties," "always return it in better shape than you borrowed it," "give an honest days work for an honest days pay," "when giving, never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing," "serve others for the love you have for them and for the love of service itself, giving no care or thought for any recognition or praise," "never let it be said by another that you cannot be trusted," "treat others as you would ask to be treated."
Dad was elected to the East Mesa Constable post in the 1970's "serving" the public for some 24 years. He was elected as President of the Arizona Constables Association where he worked to make important and substantial reforms to benefit the constables throughout Arizona.
Dad was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served the Lord in many capacities, the most memorable to him as President of the Stake Seventies Quorum and serving as a missionary. Over the years Dad and Mother fully supported 15 missionaries for the LDS church, and served in the Temple for 10 years. Dad's testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ always rang true and strong.
Many, many lives have been enriched, inspired, and just made better by Dad's life among them. He never met a stranger. On first meeting him you quickly felt that you and he were life-long friends as he quickly tried to find out what you and he had in common. And he loved to take up a conversation with anyone he came in contact with.
Dad went way out of his way to help many, many folks some of whom never knew from whence it came. His giving was well beyond what most could ever imagine because he was a blessed man, and he knew it, and he wanted to bless the lives of others. His devotion to his sweetheart Carmen and his children would be hard to match. One person said, "He will always be remembered as a bigger than life "protector", one who was always there when he was needed."
As a youngster I came to love the church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ due in large part to my earthly father's example and teachings. As is the case of all of us we have to at some point in our lives find that testimony and love for the Gospel and the Savior for ourselves. My father told me early on that if I rely on intellect alone it will never happen; you must allow the spirit to communicate with your spirit and hold tight to that all your life. I was able to do that in large part because of my father's early teachings and example. I can never deny what the Holy Spirit has testified to me. But I do owe it to my earthly father for the seed of that testimony as a youth.
by his son Kelly "J" Curtis
Melvin "J" (Mel) Curtis was born June 28, 1920 in San Jose, Arizona to Ammon and Mary Jane (Slade) Curtis. He was the 9th of 9 children. (San Jose, Arizona, is a suburb of Solomonsville, which is a suburb of Safford about 150 miles east of Mesa)
At age 88 Mel passed away on March 17, 2009 in Mesa, Arizona. He is predeceased by his sweetheart wife of 69 years, Carmen Kelly, and a daughter Marilyn Kay (Suzie). He is presently survived by his six children: Kelly J (married to Danelle Jarvis), Patricia Ann (married to Farrell Jensen), Judith Lynn (married to Ron Everett), Candace Marie (married to Gordon Flitton), Karen (married to Noel Allen), Jonathan Slade (married to Joyzelle Wade), a sister Thelma Carpenter of Thatcher, Arizona, and a brother, Fred Curtis of Mesa. At Dad's passing he has 38 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren.
He was affectionately known as "Mel" to his friends and relatives, as "Uncle Mel" to his nephews and nieces, as "Bampa" to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Learning to be responsible and dependable came early and strong in Dad's life as a result of growing up and living the life of a farm and ranch child. There were always cows to milk, hogs to feed, horses to be taken care of, chickens to feed, a garden and a farm to plant, till, and harvest.
When Dad was about 8 years old he went with his father, Ammon, to Safford to buy a pickup. They went to the only place in town that had a vehicle to suffice their farm and family needs. During the time Ammon was talking price and such with the salesman, Dad noticed a girl wandering around the showroom he thought to be a couple of years younger than he was. All of a sudden she ended up in the driver's seat of the pickup. Calling her by name the man selling the pickup beckoned the little girl to come to him. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and repeated three times, no, no, no. Mel's Dad thought she was just as cute as could be and went over to the car door and smiling at her said something to her. She seemed to immediately feel affection for Ammon and jumped up and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gently put her down and the two men then went into the office to finalize the deal for the pickup and the little girl ran off into a kitchen like room where Dad (Mel) followed her. They playfully sniped back and forth at each other, Dad thinking she was kind of a little brat. Finally he told her, "You just watch and see, I'm going to marry you some day." They only saw each other a few times over the next few years just in passing at town events, but she would always remind him of what he told her. Oh, did I forget to tell you that the man that sold Ammon that pickup was E. L. Kelly and the little girl name was Carmen.
One night at a dance when Carmen was 16 and Mel was 18, Carmen reminded him again of what he said to her on that fateful day some 10 years earlier and said to him, "So when are you going to marry me?" Something many of us have learned over the years: you don't through a challenge at my Dad's feet. He told her "right now, tonight."
As most of you know Dad and Mom ran away and got married that night and they tried to keep it a secret from their parents. Each of them continued living at home with their parents. Dad's mother knew by the look on his face, and the way he acted when she confronted him the next day, that he had probably ran away and got married. She didn't point blank ask him but she just knew, as a mother might. Dad was working nights on a baler that required 2 men sitting on each side of the baler passing wire through the compacted hay in the cylinder to wrap the hay in bales. Several nights after they were married Dad was on the baler and saw the headlights of a car coming towards them through the field. He knew right then who it was and that somehow Carmen's parents had found out. Yes it was Carmen's parents with Carmen. Her parents were never angry with them only disappointed; they simply loved then and threw their whole support behind them.
Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility was later taught to his children in the same ways that he learned.
From one of Dad's entries in February 4, 1982:
"My wife, Carmen, had just moved into the newest and nicest home in the Safford valley. She left that beautiful home to move onto a ranch without electricity, running water, city sewer, or any of the town's other conveniences. This, ‘Because we knew we could make a go of it.'
She was my helpmate from the very beginning of our marriage. She never, not one time, ever complained about what she did not have. Fresh out of the city at 16 years old she herded hogs with a baling wire whip in the pastures while I worked at night for 4 months in a cotton gin. We hauled garbage from two CCC camps to feed the hogs. She would physically hold the cattle or hogs in the corals while I branded, docked, and doctored them.
Early on we set a goal to own 1000 acres of farmland in 30 years and we were willing to give it everything we had and could muster, and to give what ever hard work, sweat, and long hours it would take."
Mel and Carmen started their life together in the Gila Valley in 1939 moving here to Mesa in 1942 and living here the rest of their lives. Dad's brother Fred with his wife Emeline also moved to Mesa and together Mel and Fred started hog raising and farming. One day while working in the field Dad was startled as he distinctly heard his fathers voice (who was bed-ridden with cancer in Thatcher) say "Mel come here. I need you now." As some of us would, he shook it off and continued working. Again he heard his fathers voice but a little stronger. "Mel, come here. I need you now." He sought out his brother Fred and shared his experience. Fred told Dad, "Then you must go right now, I'll take care of things here." When Mel arrived at his Dad's bedside in Thatcher, his Dad said, "What took you so long." It was then he learned that he was to sell the family farm, pay all the bills and use the rest to care for his Mother. And that he did for the rest of her life. Only a few days later his father passed away.
Mel and Carmen built their first "real" home on their 40-acre farm on East University when East University was a mere two-lane dirt road. Of their several residential moves I heard them say that they have each time moved closer to the cemetery, but that with their last move they couldn't move any closer to the cemetery without moving into it.
Mel was a very successful farmer/rancher all of the years he was involved in tilling the earth and raising live-stock, having farms in Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Blythe, Yuma, and Agua Caliente, He not only truly loved tilling the earth and raising and caring for animals, he was very good at what he did. And, it was not uncommon that at almost any given work season in the 1950's you could find a piece of Mel's farm equipment working on an LDS church farm somewhere in the valley never seeking or receiving monetary compensation. He always called it his "labor of love."
Besides farming they always had horses and it was not uncommon in the 1940's to find Mel and Carmen on their horses moving a herd of cattle from pasture to pasture sometimes using Mesa's Main street. For several years in the 1950's you could find their "for sale" ads in the Tribune for the devastating "wooly worms." In Dad's later years he could be found delivering sweet peas from his garden to widows, family, to the lowly in heart, and many friends.
Some of Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility were instilled in the lives of his children. Some of those principles are "just duck you head and get at it and get the it done," "if its worth doing, its worth doing right," "respect others and their possessions and properties," "always return it in better shape than you borrowed it," "give an honest days work for an honest days pay," "when giving, never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing," "serve others for the love you have for them and for the love of service itself, giving no care or thought for any recognition or praise," "never let it be said by another that you cannot be trusted," "treat others as you would ask to be treated."
Dad was elected to the East Mesa Constable post in the 1970's "serving" the public for some 24 years. He was elected as President of the Arizona Constables Association where he worked to make important and substantial reforms to benefit the constables throughout Arizona.
Dad was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served the Lord in many capacities, the most memorable to him as President of the Stake Seventies Quorum and serving as a missionary. Over the years Dad and Mother fully supported 15 missionaries for the LDS church, and served in the Temple for 10 years. Dad's testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ always rang true and strong.
Many, many lives have been enriched, inspired, and just made better by Dad's life among them. He never met a stranger. On first meeting him you quickly felt that you and he were life-long friends as he quickly tried to find out what you and he had in common. And he loved to take up a conversation with anyone he came in contact with.
Dad went way out of his way to help many, many folks some of whom never knew from whence it came. His giving was well beyond what most could ever imagine because he was a blessed man, and he knew it, and he wanted to bless the lives of others. His devotion to his sweetheart Carmen and his children would be hard to match. One person said, "He will always be remembered as a bigger than life "protector", one who was always there when he was needed."
As a youngster I came to love the church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ due in large part to my earthly father's example and teachings. As is the case of all of us we have to at some point in our lives find that testimony and love for the Gospel and the Savior for ourselves. My father told me early on that if I rely on intellect alone it will never happen; you must allow the spirit to communicate with your spirit and hold tight to that all your life. I was able to do that in large part because of my father's early teachings and example. I can never deny what the Holy Spirit has testified to me. But I do owe it to my earthly father for the seed of that testimony as a youth.
LIFE SKETCH OF MELVIN "J" CURTIS
by his son Kelly "J" Curtis
Melvin "J" (Mel) Curtis was born June 28, 1920 in San Jose, Arizona to Ammon and Mary Jane (Slade) Curtis. He was the 9th of 9 children. (San Jose, Arizona, is a suburb of Solomonsville, which is a suburb of Safford about 150 miles east of Mesa)
At age 88 Mel passed away on March 17, 2009 in Mesa, Arizona. He is predeceased by his sweetheart wife of 69 years, Carmen Kelly, and a daughter Marilyn Kay (Suzie). He is presently survived by his six children: Kelly J (married to Danelle Jarvis), Patricia Ann (married to Farrell Jensen), Judith Lynn (married to Ron Everett), Candace Marie (married to Gordon Flitton), Karen (married to Noel Allen), Jonathan Slade (married to Joyzelle Wade), a sister Thelma Carpenter of Thatcher, Arizona, and a brother, Fred Curtis of Mesa. At Dad's passing he has 38 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren.
He was affectionately known as "Mel" to his friends and relatives, as "Uncle Mel" to his nephews and nieces, as "Bampa" to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Learning to be responsible and dependable came early and strong in Dad's life as a result of growing up and living the life of a farm and ranch child. There were always cows to milk, hogs to feed, horses to be taken care of, chickens to feed, a garden and a farm to plant, till, and harvest.
When Dad was about 8 years old he went with his father, Ammon, to Safford to buy a pickup. They went to the only place in town that had a vehicle to suffice their farm and family needs. During the time Ammon was talking price and such with the salesman, Dad noticed a girl wandering around the showroom he thought to be a couple of years younger than he was. All of a sudden she ended up in the driver's seat of the pickup. Calling her by name the man selling the pickup beckoned the little girl to come to him. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and repeated three times, no, no, no. Mel's Dad thought she was just as cute as could be and went over to the car door and smiling at her said something to her. She seemed to immediately feel affection for Ammon and jumped up and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gently put her down and the two men then went into the office to finalize the deal for the pickup and the little girl ran off into a kitchen like room where Dad (Mel) followed her. They playfully sniped back and forth at each other, Dad thinking she was kind of a little brat. Finally he told her, "You just watch and see, I'm going to marry you some day." They only saw each other a few times over the next few years just in passing at town events, but she would always remind him of what he told her. Oh, did I forget to tell you that the man that sold Ammon that pickup was E. L. Kelly and the little girl name was Carmen.
One night at a dance when Carmen was 16 and Mel was 18, Carmen reminded him again of what he said to her on that fateful day some 10 years earlier and said to him, "So when are you going to marry me?" Something many of us have learned over the years: you don't through a challenge at my Dad's feet. He told her "right now, tonight."
As most of you know Dad and Mom ran away and got married that night and they tried to keep it a secret from their parents. Each of them continued living at home with their parents. Dad's mother knew by the look on his face, and the way he acted when she confronted him the next day, that he had probably ran away and got married. She didn't point blank ask him but she just knew, as a mother might. Dad was working nights on a baler that required 2 men sitting on each side of the baler passing wire through the compacted hay in the cylinder to wrap the hay in bales. Several nights after they were married Dad was on the baler and saw the headlights of a car coming towards them through the field. He knew right then who it was and that somehow Carmen's parents had found out. Yes it was Carmen's parents with Carmen. Her parents were never angry with them only disappointed; they simply loved then and threw their whole support behind them.
Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility was later taught to his children in the same ways that he learned.
From one of Dad's entries in February 4, 1982:
"My wife, Carmen, had just moved into the newest and nicest home in the Safford valley. She left that beautiful home to move onto a ranch without electricity, running water, city sewer, or any of the town's other conveniences. This, ‘Because we knew we could make a go of it.'
She was my helpmate from the very beginning of our marriage. She never, not one time, ever complained about what she did not have. Fresh out of the city at 16 years old she herded hogs with a baling wire whip in the pastures while I worked at night for 4 months in a cotton gin. We hauled garbage from two CCC camps to feed the hogs. She would physically hold the cattle or hogs in the corals while I branded, docked, and doctored them.
Early on we set a goal to own 1000 acres of farmland in 30 years and we were willing to give it everything we had and could muster, and to give what ever hard work, sweat, and long hours it would take."
Mel and Carmen started their life together in the Gila Valley in 1939 moving here to Mesa in 1942 and living here the rest of their lives. Dad's brother Fred with his wife Emeline also moved to Mesa and together Mel and Fred started hog raising and farming. One day while working in the field Dad was startled as he distinctly heard his fathers voice (who was bed-ridden with cancer in Thatcher) say "Mel come here. I need you now." As some of us would, he shook it off and continued working. Again he heard his fathers voice but a little stronger. "Mel, come here. I need you now." He sought out his brother Fred and shared his experience. Fred told Dad, "Then you must go right now, I'll take care of things here." When Mel arrived at his Dad's bedside in Thatcher, his Dad said, "What took you so long." It was then he learned that he was to sell the family farm, pay all the bills and use the rest to care for his Mother. And that he did for the rest of her life. Only a few days later his father passed away.
Mel and Carmen built their first "real" home on their 40-acre farm on East University when East University was a mere two-lane dirt road. Of their several residential moves I heard them say that they have each time moved closer to the cemetery, but that with their last move they couldn't move any closer to the cemetery without moving into it.
Mel was a very successful farmer/rancher all of the years he was involved in tilling the earth and raising live-stock, having farms in Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Blythe, Yuma, and Agua Caliente, He not only truly loved tilling the earth and raising and caring for animals, he was very good at what he did. And, it was not uncommon that at almost any given work season in the 1950's you could find a piece of Mel's farm equipment working on an LDS church farm somewhere in the valley never seeking or receiving monetary compensation. He always called it his "labor of love."
Besides farming they always had horses and it was not uncommon in the 1940's to find Mel and Carmen on their horses moving a herd of cattle from pasture to pasture sometimes using Mesa's Main street. For several years in the 1950's you could find their "for sale" ads in the Tribune for the devastating "wooly worms." In Dad's later years he could be found delivering sweet peas from his garden to widows, family, to the lowly in heart, and many friends.
Some of Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility were instilled in the lives of his children. Some of those principles are "just duck you head and get at it and get the it done," "if its worth doing, its worth doing right," "respect others and their possessions and properties," "always return it in better shape than you borrowed it," "give an honest days work for an honest days pay," "when giving, never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing," "serve others for the love you have for them and for the love of service itself, giving no care or thought for any recognition or praise," "never let it be said by another that you cannot be trusted," "treat others as you would ask to be treated."
Dad was elected to the East Mesa Constable post in the 1970's "serving" the public for some 24 years. He was elected as President of the Arizona Constables Association where he worked to make important and substantial reforms to benefit the constables throughout Arizona.
Dad was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served the Lord in many capacities, the most memorable to him as President of the Stake Seventies Quorum and serving as a missionary. Over the years Dad and Mother fully supported 15 missionaries for the LDS church, and served in the Temple for 10 years. Dad's testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ always rang true and strong.
Many, many lives have been enriched, inspired, and just made better by Dad's life among them. He never met a stranger. On first meeting him you quickly felt that you and he were life-long friends as he quickly tried to find out what you and he had in common. And he loved to take up a conversation with anyone he came in contact with.
Dad went way out of his way to help many, many folks some of whom never knew from whence it came. His giving was well beyond what most could ever imagine because he was a blessed man, and he knew it, and he wanted to bless the lives of others. His devotion to his sweetheart Carmen and his children would be hard to match. One person said, "He will always be remembered as a bigger than life "protector", one who was always there when he was needed."
As a youngster I came to love the church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ due in large part to my earthly father's example and teachings. As is the case of all of us we have to at some point in our lives find that testimony and love for the Gospel and the Savior for ourselves. My father told me early on that if I rely on intellect alone it will never happen; you must allow the spirit to communicate with your spirit and hold tight to that all your life. I was able to do that in large part because of my father's early teachings and example. I can never deny what the Holy Spirit has testified to me. But I do owe it to my earthly father for the seed of that testimony as a youth.
by his son Kelly "J" Curtis
Melvin "J" (Mel) Curtis was born June 28, 1920 in San Jose, Arizona to Ammon and Mary Jane (Slade) Curtis. He was the 9th of 9 children. (San Jose, Arizona, is a suburb of Solomonsville, which is a suburb of Safford about 150 miles east of Mesa)
At age 88 Mel passed away on March 17, 2009 in Mesa, Arizona. He is predeceased by his sweetheart wife of 69 years, Carmen Kelly, and a daughter Marilyn Kay (Suzie). He is presently survived by his six children: Kelly J (married to Danelle Jarvis), Patricia Ann (married to Farrell Jensen), Judith Lynn (married to Ron Everett), Candace Marie (married to Gordon Flitton), Karen (married to Noel Allen), Jonathan Slade (married to Joyzelle Wade), a sister Thelma Carpenter of Thatcher, Arizona, and a brother, Fred Curtis of Mesa. At Dad's passing he has 38 grandchildren and 84 great-grandchildren.
He was affectionately known as "Mel" to his friends and relatives, as "Uncle Mel" to his nephews and nieces, as "Bampa" to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Learning to be responsible and dependable came early and strong in Dad's life as a result of growing up and living the life of a farm and ranch child. There were always cows to milk, hogs to feed, horses to be taken care of, chickens to feed, a garden and a farm to plant, till, and harvest.
When Dad was about 8 years old he went with his father, Ammon, to Safford to buy a pickup. They went to the only place in town that had a vehicle to suffice their farm and family needs. During the time Ammon was talking price and such with the salesman, Dad noticed a girl wandering around the showroom he thought to be a couple of years younger than he was. All of a sudden she ended up in the driver's seat of the pickup. Calling her by name the man selling the pickup beckoned the little girl to come to him. She grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and repeated three times, no, no, no. Mel's Dad thought she was just as cute as could be and went over to the car door and smiling at her said something to her. She seemed to immediately feel affection for Ammon and jumped up and threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He gently put her down and the two men then went into the office to finalize the deal for the pickup and the little girl ran off into a kitchen like room where Dad (Mel) followed her. They playfully sniped back and forth at each other, Dad thinking she was kind of a little brat. Finally he told her, "You just watch and see, I'm going to marry you some day." They only saw each other a few times over the next few years just in passing at town events, but she would always remind him of what he told her. Oh, did I forget to tell you that the man that sold Ammon that pickup was E. L. Kelly and the little girl name was Carmen.
One night at a dance when Carmen was 16 and Mel was 18, Carmen reminded him again of what he said to her on that fateful day some 10 years earlier and said to him, "So when are you going to marry me?" Something many of us have learned over the years: you don't through a challenge at my Dad's feet. He told her "right now, tonight."
As most of you know Dad and Mom ran away and got married that night and they tried to keep it a secret from their parents. Each of them continued living at home with their parents. Dad's mother knew by the look on his face, and the way he acted when she confronted him the next day, that he had probably ran away and got married. She didn't point blank ask him but she just knew, as a mother might. Dad was working nights on a baler that required 2 men sitting on each side of the baler passing wire through the compacted hay in the cylinder to wrap the hay in bales. Several nights after they were married Dad was on the baler and saw the headlights of a car coming towards them through the field. He knew right then who it was and that somehow Carmen's parents had found out. Yes it was Carmen's parents with Carmen. Her parents were never angry with them only disappointed; they simply loved then and threw their whole support behind them.
Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility was later taught to his children in the same ways that he learned.
From one of Dad's entries in February 4, 1982:
"My wife, Carmen, had just moved into the newest and nicest home in the Safford valley. She left that beautiful home to move onto a ranch without electricity, running water, city sewer, or any of the town's other conveniences. This, ‘Because we knew we could make a go of it.'
She was my helpmate from the very beginning of our marriage. She never, not one time, ever complained about what she did not have. Fresh out of the city at 16 years old she herded hogs with a baling wire whip in the pastures while I worked at night for 4 months in a cotton gin. We hauled garbage from two CCC camps to feed the hogs. She would physically hold the cattle or hogs in the corals while I branded, docked, and doctored them.
Early on we set a goal to own 1000 acres of farmland in 30 years and we were willing to give it everything we had and could muster, and to give what ever hard work, sweat, and long hours it would take."
Mel and Carmen started their life together in the Gila Valley in 1939 moving here to Mesa in 1942 and living here the rest of their lives. Dad's brother Fred with his wife Emeline also moved to Mesa and together Mel and Fred started hog raising and farming. One day while working in the field Dad was startled as he distinctly heard his fathers voice (who was bed-ridden with cancer in Thatcher) say "Mel come here. I need you now." As some of us would, he shook it off and continued working. Again he heard his fathers voice but a little stronger. "Mel, come here. I need you now." He sought out his brother Fred and shared his experience. Fred told Dad, "Then you must go right now, I'll take care of things here." When Mel arrived at his Dad's bedside in Thatcher, his Dad said, "What took you so long." It was then he learned that he was to sell the family farm, pay all the bills and use the rest to care for his Mother. And that he did for the rest of her life. Only a few days later his father passed away.
Mel and Carmen built their first "real" home on their 40-acre farm on East University when East University was a mere two-lane dirt road. Of their several residential moves I heard them say that they have each time moved closer to the cemetery, but that with their last move they couldn't move any closer to the cemetery without moving into it.
Mel was a very successful farmer/rancher all of the years he was involved in tilling the earth and raising live-stock, having farms in Mesa, Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler, Blythe, Yuma, and Agua Caliente, He not only truly loved tilling the earth and raising and caring for animals, he was very good at what he did. And, it was not uncommon that at almost any given work season in the 1950's you could find a piece of Mel's farm equipment working on an LDS church farm somewhere in the valley never seeking or receiving monetary compensation. He always called it his "labor of love."
Besides farming they always had horses and it was not uncommon in the 1940's to find Mel and Carmen on their horses moving a herd of cattle from pasture to pasture sometimes using Mesa's Main street. For several years in the 1950's you could find their "for sale" ads in the Tribune for the devastating "wooly worms." In Dad's later years he could be found delivering sweet peas from his garden to widows, family, to the lowly in heart, and many friends.
Some of Dad's work ethics and sense of focus, dependability, and responsibility were instilled in the lives of his children. Some of those principles are "just duck you head and get at it and get the it done," "if its worth doing, its worth doing right," "respect others and their possessions and properties," "always return it in better shape than you borrowed it," "give an honest days work for an honest days pay," "when giving, never let the left hand know what the right hand is doing," "serve others for the love you have for them and for the love of service itself, giving no care or thought for any recognition or praise," "never let it be said by another that you cannot be trusted," "treat others as you would ask to be treated."
Dad was elected to the East Mesa Constable post in the 1970's "serving" the public for some 24 years. He was elected as President of the Arizona Constables Association where he worked to make important and substantial reforms to benefit the constables throughout Arizona.
Dad was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and served the Lord in many capacities, the most memorable to him as President of the Stake Seventies Quorum and serving as a missionary. Over the years Dad and Mother fully supported 15 missionaries for the LDS church, and served in the Temple for 10 years. Dad's testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ always rang true and strong.
Many, many lives have been enriched, inspired, and just made better by Dad's life among them. He never met a stranger. On first meeting him you quickly felt that you and he were life-long friends as he quickly tried to find out what you and he had in common. And he loved to take up a conversation with anyone he came in contact with.
Dad went way out of his way to help many, many folks some of whom never knew from whence it came. His giving was well beyond what most could ever imagine because he was a blessed man, and he knew it, and he wanted to bless the lives of others. His devotion to his sweetheart Carmen and his children would be hard to match. One person said, "He will always be remembered as a bigger than life "protector", one who was always there when he was needed."
As a youngster I came to love the church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ due in large part to my earthly father's example and teachings. As is the case of all of us we have to at some point in our lives find that testimony and love for the Gospel and the Savior for ourselves. My father told me early on that if I rely on intellect alone it will never happen; you must allow the spirit to communicate with your spirit and hold tight to that all your life. I was able to do that in large part because of my father's early teachings and example. I can never deny what the Holy Spirit has testified to me. But I do owe it to my earthly father for the seed of that testimony as a youth.
Family Members
Siblings
Children
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
