Richard A. Mellem

Richard A. Mellem, 72, passed away with his family by his side in Gilbert, AZ. He was born on April 14, 1946 to George Olsgaard and Claudia Belinda [Ellingson] Mellem in Minot, ND where he was raised. He attended Minot High School where he played tuba in the marching band; he always had a love for music. Richard graduated in 1964, and following high school, he wanted to go in to the Marine Corp with his friend, Allen, but his father wanted him to attend college instead. Richard went on to attend Minot State University and after one semester, enlisted in the United States Air Force and proudly served one and a half tours during the Vietnam War retiring after almost 21 years of service. During his career in the military, Richard was stationed at many different bases including, Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, Peterson Field AFB in Colorado, where he worked in general operations for NORAD, Kirkland AFB in New Mexico, Wheeler AFB in Hawaii and eventually Williams AFB in Arizona, where he retired from. While at Kirkland AFB, he met the love of his life, Sharon King, and after a short courtship, Richard proposed on December 25, 1971 and the two were married on February 4, 1972. Richard was a compassionate, loving and understanding man who was known to be a jokester, always trying to make others laugh and never met a person he didn’t like. Richard is survived by his beloved wife of 47 years, Sharon Mellem; Ssons, Richard A. Mellem Jr and Christopher Michael Mellem; two grandson, Dustin Michael Mellem ; his sisters, Shirley Keith and Gail Louise (Tom) Pankow; brothers-in-law, Timothy and Matthew King and his sisters-in-law, Cecelia Wallace and Stephanie Fitzpatrick as well as a large number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his grandson, Russell Anthony Mellem. A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00am, Saturday, March 23, 2019 at Mariposa Gardens Cemetery Chapel, 6747 E. Broadway Rd in Mesa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Richard’s name to the George O. Mellem Scholarship at Minot State University. Arrangements entrusted to Mariposa Gardens (480) 830-4422