Melvin Gene Pendley

Melvin Gene Pendley of Ochelata, formerly of Healdton, Oklahoma, passed away from this life on Thursday, August 22, 2024, at The Journey Home after a short battle with cancer.
Services will be held at Legacy Church of Christ, 300 N. Madison Blvd. at 2:00, followed by graveside services at Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation precedes the service at 1:00.
Melvin was born in Greenfield Oklahoma on April 23, 1938, to Lillard Pendley and Vida Simmons Pendley. He had one brother, Bob Pendley and one sister, Carolyn Sue Wright of Davis, Oklahoma. He attended Lindsay High Schools where he met the love of his life, Thelma Jean Cox. They married on Feb 4, 1957, in Lovington, New Mexico, and celebrated 67 years of marriage in Feb 2024. Melvin and Jean had one daughter, Debbie Pendley Wood and Gary of Bartlesville. He was "Bebop" to one beloved grandson, Michael Wood and Sheila of Bartlesville. The joys of his life later were his two great-grandchildren, Alli Wood and Cooper Wood, both of Bartlesville. Jean's baby brother, John Beene of Ardmore, was his unofficially adopted son and spent much time with Melvin as often as he could.
Melvin loved to deer hunt and fish and could be found many mornings on Lake Texoma fishing for stripers on his pontoon boat. During Debbie's younger years, he loved coaching the girls' softball team and watching her and Gary both play basketball. During Michael's sports career, he and Mema traveled as often as possible to as many football and basketball games as possible, from Tonkawa to Denver to Nebraska and some as far away as Florida. Then, during Alli and Cooper's sports careers, he stayed close to home and watched their home games of volleyball, football and basketball. Bebop loved watching all his kids play sports.
Melvin was a self-employed welder for many years. He was the owner of Pendley's Welding Service before selling it and becoming a Maintenance Foreman for Citation Oil in Healdton until he retired in March of 2016.
In 2019, Melvin and Jean moved to Ochelata to join the rest of their family in northern Oklahoma. He was a member of Legacy church of Christ where he loved telling his fishing stories and the church potlucks.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Legacy Church of Christ or to The Journey Home. Pallbearers are Michael Wood, Cooper Wood, Alli Wood, Shawn Hammonds, Steve Paul and Alan Van Steenvoort.