Mary Lou Melby, age 86, passed away Tuesday, June 10, 2025. She was born August 21, 1938 to Fred and Hulda (Rhode) Redman. On October 2, 1965, she was united in marriage to Kenneth Melby and together had a son, Allan. Kenneth preceded her in death on August 12, 2008.
Mary Lou graduated from Waupaca High School and later attended Minnesota Business School. She loved to travel by train and would often take trips to visit her aunt and uncle in Minnesota. She worked as a switchboard operator for Bell Telephone Company for 8 years, until they went dial, and also worked as a lunch lady for the Iola-Scandinavia School District. She had a never-ending thirst for knowledge, often reading more than 5 books at a time, which complemented her volunteer work at the Scandinavia library. As an avid reader, she enjoyed many magazines as well, from Cosmopolitan to the New Yorker, and everything in between. Her quick-witted sense of humor would light up any room. She was generous to a fault - often emptying her own kitchen cupboards to give to others. Mary Lou loved watching professional as well as Iola school sports. If her grandchildren were playing in a game, she never missed it! She was so proud of her grandchildren and all of their accomplishments. She was also proud to have recently learned to FaceTime.
Mary Lou will be dearly missed by her son, Allan (Rhonda) Melby; grandchildren: Andrew, Emily, Aaron (Alanna) and Allysan; great-grandchildren: Kendra, Renick, Hudson and Mallory. She is also survived by brothers-in-law, Jack Webie and Gary Melby and sister-in-law, Judy Melby.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Kenneth; infant children, Phyllis and Fredrich; sisters, Marilyn and Lois; sister-in-law, Lois Webie and brother-in-law, David Melby.
The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at the Maple Crest Funeral Home. Visitation will be held Monday from 4 - 7 p.m. and again Tuesday from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. A private family burial will take place at Scandinavia Lutheran Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established.
