Danny A. Melton

Danny A. Melton, a longtime Payne county resident, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009, in Miami Beach, Fla., at the age of 58 years.Funeral services have been entrusted to the Palmer Marler Funeral Home in Cushing and will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the First United Methodist Church in Cushing with the Rev. Ted Uhlig and the Rev. Larry Eslinger officiating.The son of the late Nathan W. Melton and Maggie M. (Williamson) Melton, Danny was born on July 2, 1950, in Stillwater. As a young boy, Danny’s family moved to California where at the age of 10 years old he designed the seal for the Commerce Chamber of Commerce. His family later moved to Ripley where he graduated from Ripley High School.On Oct. 13, 1967, Danny entered the United States Army at Ft. Polk, La. While serving in Vietnam he was awarded two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with a Palm. He received his honorable discharge on April 11, 1977, in Ft. Jackson, S.C., as a staff sergeant. Following his time in the military, Danny worked for the Ripley Police Department, the Payne County Sheriff’s Department and did roust about in the oil and gas industry. In November of 1991, Danny began working for the Department of Interior where he was a federal oil and gas inspector for the Bureau of Land Management, retiring in September of 2006.In his spare time, Danny enjoyed fishing, boating, water and snow skiing, golfing and riding motorcycles. Danny was also a licensed horse trainer and enjoyed horseback riding. Survivors include his wife, Karen, of the home; one brother, Nathan Melton and his wife, Sharon, of Stillwater; two sisters, Nina F. Miller of Salem, Ore. and Judy McCray and her husband, Kenneth, of Skedee; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and other relatives and friends.Condolences and an online guestbook are available at www.palmermarlerfh.com.A video tribute honoring Danny’s life is available for viewing at www.palmermarlerfh.com.