Melvin John "Mel" Lardy

Melvin "Mel" John Lardy, 49, a resident of the Gaston Community passed away on December 2, 2024 at his home.
Melvin was born on February 28, 1975 in Hillsboro, Oregon. He was the oldest of two sons born to Peter "Pete" L and Darla (Normand) Lardy. His first five years he lived in Buxton and then moved with his family to St Helens. Here he started grade school attending Yankton Grade School where he learned to play the clarinet, until 1987 when his family moved back to Buxton. He attended Banks Grade School, Banks Jr High School and graduated from Banks High School with the Class of 1993. He was also an active member of the Banks FFA Chapter and earned his State Farmer Degree and also won the State Forestry Proficiency award his senior year. This sent him to the National FFA Convention where he placed runner up. Melvin also played football and baseball. Following high school Melvin enrolled at Oregon State University and studied Forest Engineering. He acquired the best brothers by choice when he pledged Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity.
He met his future wife, Cori Betancourt, at a State FFA convention held at OSU in 1994. They dated for four years and later broke off their relationship. Eleven years later the found each other again on Facebook, following a 1 ½ year courtship they married on October 22, 2011 in Reno, NV and they made their home in Gaston OR. They had two sons together, Peter "Andy" and Mitchell bring their family to a total of four children with his two stepdaughters, Valynn and Sadie Bateman.
Melvin was captivated by the logging industry at a young age while listening to horse logging stories of his great-grandfather, Rexford Normand. His Grandfather, John Normand and uncle John Normand Jr also loggers blazed the trail in his heart for the love of the woods. As a teenager working alongside his father, Pete helping to fell and move timber for his grandfather, Melvin L Lardy. He continued the family legacy by starting up his own Gypo logging outfit, Stump Branch Logging, having been featured in the Ax Men TV Series on the History channel, season #1 in 2008.
Melvin loved the outdoors, hunting fishing and camping. He loved everything that had to do with logging, whether it was admiring old logging equipment or reading the history of logging. He was a very social person enjoyed that enjoyed wheeling, bonfires and shooting the breeze with his buddies. He liked to listen to old country music, swing dancing with his wife and was a great cook. Melvin had also been a forestry team coach for the Banks FFA chapter.
He is preceded by his father Peter L. Lardy, his grandparents, Melvin and Gladdean (Dick) Lardy and John Normand.
He is survived by his loving wife, Cori, two sons, Peter "Andy" and Mitchell B Lardy all of the family home, two step daughters, Valynn Bateman of Gales Creek and Sadie Bateman of Gaston. Also surviving is his mother Darla Lardy of Buxton, a brother Louis Lardy and his wife Cari both of Vernonia, his grandmother Janet Normand of forest Grove and two nephews, Shayne and Dylin Lardy