Melville W Durston

Melville Wrae Durston of Glendora, California died peacefully on Monday, January 2, 2023. He was 97. Mel was born on January 20, 1925, in Los Angeles, California, the eldest child of Wrae and Ruth Durston. He was a resident of Los Angeles County for the entirety of his nearly 98 years.

Mel grew up in Pasadena and graduated from a joint high school program at John Marshall and Pasadena Junior College in January 1943. Mel wanted to be an Army Service Pilot, so he purchased a small airplane to learn to fly and accumulate the 200 hours of flight time he needed to be accepted. He volunteered for the Army, and was inducted at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, and assigned to the Army Air Corp. When the air war turned in our favor, and the army once again required 20/20 vision without glasses, Mel was reassigned to electronics and radar. He was part of a bomber squadron at Fort Worth Army Air Base handling all maintenance and pre-flight inspection. He served honorably and received his discharge in 1946.

After the war Mel attended USC to study Math but left in 1949 to become foreman of his father’s tool shop, Durston Manufacturing Company, which had been established in 1932, and where he’d worked on and off since he was a kid. Mel ran Durston Manufacturing in La Verne, CA for 50 years, designing and manufacturing automotive specialty tools, which he had a knack for given his love of math and drafting, and given his experience rebuilding cars starting with a 1929 Model A Ford Roadster when he was fourteen years old. Mel served in the La Verne Rotary and Chamber of Commerce for many years.

Mel met and married Adele Durston in 1947. They moved to Glendora in 1955 and made a home there to raise their four children. They were happily married for 69 years and were actively involved in the lives of their children and grandchildren. Mel’s favorite pastimes were cycling, golf, and dark chocolate. Mel attended countless sporting events and shows to support his grandchildren, who lovingly called him “Poppie.”

Mel was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, and friend. He was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Adele Durston, his son Stephen W. Durston and his sister Lucile Wills. Mel is survived by his daughters and their husbands: Melanie and Skip Szymanski of Santa Barbara, CA; Gretchen and Donovan Norton of Glendora, CA; Theresa and Jim Maloney of Glendora, CA; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will take place at 9:00 AM on Monday, January 23 at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Rowland Heights, CA. The graveside and burial will follow. Flowers of remembrance may be sent to Queen of Heaven Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Stephen W. Durston Memorial Scholarship at Glendora High School or the Inland Valley Humane Society & S.P.C.A.

Inland Valley Humane Society ad S.P.C.A.