Mel was born in Oxford Twp. Adams Co., WI, on the family farm, the third and final child of his parents. He moved with his parents and two sisters to St. Paul, MN when about 3 years old. Here he grows to maturity. He is drafted and serves in the Army during WWII. He is captured at the Battle of the Bulge and is a POW. The camp is liberated and Mel recovers from near starvation. He marries Bette Ann Anderson in 1944, during his service, but before going overseas. Post war they live with Mel's parents for several years. About 1952, coinciding with the birth of their only child, Mel and Bette build a house in Little Canada, a northern suburb of St. Paul, MN. Mel works as a masonry contractor most of his life. Mel and Bette divorce in 1972. Mel remarries in 1979. He retires with his second wife, Jean, to Ackley, MN, where they live for almost 15 years. They divorce in 1994. Mel lives in Ackley, MN, until his death in 1995 at age 71.
Mel was born in Oxford Twp. Adams Co., WI, on the family farm, the third and final child of his parents. He moved with his parents and two sisters to St. Paul, MN when about 3 years old. Here he grows to maturity. He is drafted and serves in the Army during WWII. He is captured at the Battle of the Bulge and is a POW. The camp is liberated and Mel recovers from near starvation. He marries Bette Ann Anderson in 1944, during his service, but before going overseas. Post war they live with Mel's parents for several years. About 1952, coinciding with the birth of their only child, Mel and Bette build a house in Little Canada, a northern suburb of St. Paul, MN. Mel works as a masonry contractor most of his life. Mel and Bette divorce in 1972. Mel remarries in 1979. He retires with his second wife, Jean, to Ackley, MN, where they live for almost 15 years. They divorce in 1994. Mel lives in Ackley, MN, until his death in 1995 at age 71.
