Melvin Joseph Stern, 90, of Decatur, passed away May 9, 2023, in
Auburn, Illinois.
Melvin was born in the
Princeton, Illinois, area on February 4, 1933, the son of Leslie and Marcella (Bohm) Stern. He served proudly in the US Army. Following his service, he became a funeral director and then an agent for American Family Insurance. He married Beverly Blair in 1956 in
Sterling, Illinois.
Melvin was a long-time and active member of Grace United Methodist Church in Decatur. He also devoted much time to helping young people. For many years, he and his wife, Beverly, ran GUM Park, an afterschool program for inner-city youth. He served as Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 119 at Central Christian Church and ran the Kiwanis Park baseball program for many years. In his spare time, he enjoyed woodworking, crafting stained glass, turkey hunting, camping, traveling, and spending time outdoors. Melvin was a family man and loved spending as much time as he could with his sons and grandchildren.
Melvin is survived by his wife Beverly; sons Kevin (Cathy) Stern of
Pawnee, IL, and Michael (Ashley) Stern of Castle Rock, CO; grandchildren Rachel (Kyle) Young, Nate Stern, Carrie (Josua) Matthias, Andrew Stern, Cora Stern, Colin Stern, Amelia Stern, Grey Stern, and Brynn Stern; and great-granddaughter Eleni Matthias. He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, and two sisters.
Graceland Fairlawn Funeral Home is providing cremation services for Melvin. A memorial service will be held at 10:30am on Monday, May 22, at Grace Methodist Church in Decatur. Visitation will be one hour before the service. Burial at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield will be at 2:00pm.