Melba Bayne

Melba Bayne Melba Bayne, 79, of Culpeper died Monday, October 4, 2010 at her residence. She was born November 4, 1930 in Centralia, IL to the late Louis Rudolph and Lucille Schuman Beckmeyer.

Melba attended the University of Illinois on an art scholarship from 1948 to 1951 and married Jim Bayne of Centralia and Detroit, MI on June 5, 1951. She studied mechanical engineering upon joining her husband in Detroit where she was a junior mechanical engineer with Smith Hichman and Grylls from 1952-1962. While living in Houston, and after the birth of her daughters, she became a stay at home mother and after the family relocated to Virginia she established a home office and worked from it for a number of years until Melanie and Melissa were young school girls. She then joined Bernard Johnson Associates, Washington DC, as a senior mechanical engineer for several years after which she accepted a position as the Senior Mechanical Engineer for the Washington area Metropolitan Transit Authority from 1981 until retiring in 1998. She was an accomplished artist and enjoyed playing the piano and organ but most of all she enjoyed doing things with and for her family. Melba and her family have resided in Culpeper since 1989

She is survived by her husband of 59 years, James M. Bayne, her daughters, Melanie Lee Bayne Dickerson and her husband, Jack and Melissa Ann Bayne, all of Culpeper and her beloved beagle, 'Lil Abner'.

A private memorial service will be held at Found and Sons Funeral Chapel with Rev. Canon Henry Minich officiating.

Inurnment will follow in Culpeper Masonic Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her name to the American Cancer Society, 2654 Valley Ave., Suite B, Winchester, VA 22601 and will be appreciated as an expressed wish of Melba.

An online guestbook and tribute wall is available at www.foundandsons.com

Found and Sons Funeral Chapel of Culpeper is handling the arrangements.




This obituary was originally published in the Culpeper StarExponent.