Melba Nancy Campbelll's Obituary
An Inspiring WomanIt’s a happy day. My grandmother on her honeymoon. On January 29, 1946 Melba Grimes married the love of her life Mercer Campbell, and they began their life together. My grandpa was in the Coast Guard so they couldn’t go very far for their honeymoon, and spent it camping in Pinecrest, Ca. The young, beautiful woman in this photo is walking towards the shadow of the photographer (my grandpa). The band of devotion he placed on her finger not long before, hidden as she hauls a box on her shoulder. What is in this box? Your guess is as good as mine, but if I had to guess I would say pinecones. She was probably collecting pinecones for some kind of craft later. Behind her the landscape is full of pine trees their thick branches covered in sharp needles towering to the sky. The ground below her feet is bare, but littered with stray rocks, and branches. She’s facing the camera with a half smile half grimace, her eyes slightly closed from the sun. Her slim frame is hidden behind oversized pants rolled at her ankles. Her shirt hangs loose, covered in diamond shapes.This is a picture of a happy woman, with her whole life ahead of her. This is a picture of the shadow of a man filled with the joy of knowing he gets to spend the rest of his life with this woman. This is a picture of love. My grandma on my mom’s side died when my mom was young and I never had the opportunity to meet her. But the lack of two grandmas does not distract from how lucky I am to have Melba Campbell. This grandma has set an example of unconditional love, showing me what it means to be kind and caring for those in need.When my dad showed up at my grandparents’ home with a skinny, young, sick girl and her young son, in desperate need of love, my grandma welcomed this girl into her home, took care of her, became the mother that she was missing.This girl would later become my mom, and my grandmother became more than a mother in-law to her. She truly loved and cared for her like only a mother can her childIs unconditional love a learned behavior? Or is it something that just some of us are born with and others are not? Is compassion for others found in our genetic code? Or is it by seeing compassion practiced from the people around us that we acquire this trait? Today we look around and it seems that unconditional love and more so compassion is missing.When I look back to pull a single memory out that encompasses all that I feel about my grandma, its impossible. My memories are blurred together with laughter, and love, clinging to each other in happiness. How can I choose one from so many? My cousins and I used to pull out all the clothes from her closet and play dress up, we did crafts with thick construction paper, creating beautiful masterpieces that would hang on her refrigerator with pride. We would do all we could to be grandchild of the week, to win the prize of getting to use the bowl with the hearts on it, and sit in the red chair at the small round table in the kitchen. My childhood is a piece of fabric woven together with the days spent at grandma’s house. Without this woman Melba Campbell, without her being my grandma, where would I be?A simple photo of a woman, a simple smile, a simple day. Seventy-one years ago these two people started this family of mine. I look at this picture and see my grandma, and even though it was years before I was born, I can picture this day, and this place. Pinecrest is a place that holds many memories for me. These memories are the ones I cherish the most. These are the memories that will last a lifetime. The excitement of a vacation, and the joy of spending time with my family, the many summers we spent with these two people taking their presence for granted. What would I give to be able to have one more day at Pinecrest? When I look back to think of my grandma I will see the face of this beautiful woman on her honeymoon, I want to remember her this way, happy and in love.
What’s your fondest memory of Melba?
What’s a lesson you learned from Melba?
Share a story where Melba's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Melba you’ll never forget.
How did Melba make you smile?