David Craig Mello

David Craig Mello was born on March 10, 1946. He is preceded in death by his mother, Bonnie Bell Mello (Cottongim), father, Clyde Irving Mello, and older brother, Michael Allen Mello, who passed away just 2 months before on December 4, 2023.

As a child, “Dave” struggled with health issues and physical ailments which motivated him to try harder in all that he did. Those limitations were soon replaced, however, with multiple academic and athletic accomplishments both in little league and later at Davis High School in Modesto where he was varsity quarterback of the football team, pitcher on the baseball team, and point guard on the basketball team. Dave was also student body secretary at Davis High School and was part of the first graduating class in 1964.

After high school, Dave was given a scholarship to attend California State University, Fresno to play baseball. While at Fresno State, Dave graduated with a degree in History with a minor in Latin American studies, and wrote, An Historical Perspective of the Beard Industrial District, as his master’s thesis. It was in Fresno that he would meet and marry Susan Pamela Aldridge, his first wife of thirteen years, and have two children, Craig (Estelle) and Beka (Brandon), who would give him six grandchildren: Cameron, Nairoby, Abigail, Asia, Maya, and Callie.

In 1984, Dave married Karen Weaver, and remained married until Karen passed away on November 29, 2021. As husband and wife, Dave and Karen loved to travel and stay at their many timeshares, spending a large portion of their time in South Lake Tahoe and San Francisco where they attended numerous plays and casino cardrooms. As an American history major and avid reader of historical biographies, Dave particularly loved visiting historical locations on the east coast with Karen. Then, when no longer able to travel, Dave put all his effort into taking care of Karen throughout her battle with dementia.

Dave had a successful career in education, having first taught in Chowchilla and later becoming vice-principal in Empire at Roma Teel Middle School. Soon after his time in Empire, he became principal of Mark Twain Junior High School in Modesto, and was later asked by Modesto City Schools superintendent, James Enochs, to be assistant superintendent in charge of Personnel/Human Resources. It was in this position that Dave thrived and spent most of his career, establishing hundreds of meaningful relationships until retiring in 2004. In his role as assistant superintendent, Dave was known above all things to be a man of unwavering fairness and compassion, who represented the “human” element of Modesto City Schools’ human resources department, a characteristic that he took with him the day he retired.

As a son to Bonnie and Clyde, Dave was respectful, caring, and considerate. Known for climbing to the tops of his father’s almond trees with an almond mallet to help his dad at harvest time and for buying lavish gifts for his mom at Christmas and on birthdays, he always treated his parents with respect. With his brother, Mike, Dave always maintained strong ties, regularly meeting once a month at a hotel in Bakersfield where they would talk politics, sports, family, and their beloved early years in Sacramento with grandparents and cousins.

As a father to Craig and Beka, Dave was caring, firm, understanding, wise, and playful. For his son, Craig, this meant annual fishing trips to lake McSwain, working side by side in Dave’s orchard pruning almond trees, and standing with Craig as his best man when Craig got married to his wife, Estelle. To his daughter, Beka, Dave was doting and generous, always sending her roses on her birthday, buying her Mrs. Fields cookies every Christmas Eve, and taking her to San Francisco on annual father-daughter weekends.

As a grandfather to Cameron, Nairoby, Abigail, Asia, Maya, and Callie, Dave was a figure of love and security who could always be counted on for sports advice and intelligent conversation. Known for encouraging his grandkids to order dessert at every dinner out (sometimes despite the wishes of their parents), Grandpa Dave always made them feel special. He had an amazing way of turning every encounter, no matter how big or small, into an opportunity to teach something new. This even applied to playing board games together like checkers, during which time he would teach strategy and the idea of “attrition.” Of course, as every grandchild knew, Grandpa Dave would never let you win just because you were a kid.

To his daughter-in-law, Estelle, Dave was a pillar of strength, wisdom, and kindness, remembered for the boxes of groceries he brought to her and Craig after his granddaughters were born, and for the countless breakfasts and dinners together, always making a competition out of ordering the best food on the menu…which he always insisted on sharing.

In his later years, Dave also became a victim of dementia, and on the night of February 4, 2024, during the strongest of storms he was taken from us. His favorite historical figure, Winston Churchill, wrote, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts.” Dave lived his entire life with this mentality, fighting with all he had from beginning to end in all that he did. Every version of him will be missed beyond words. Every memory, both old and new, will be cherished forever.

We love you, Dave.

We love you, Grandpa.

We love you, Dad.