Melinda Elphingstone

Melinda Burr Elphingstone, 82, passed away in her sleep at Juniper Village Memory Care in Louisville, Colo., on Sept. 23, 2025.

Born Aug. 28, 1943, in Paragould, she was the eldest daughter of Chester Burr and Mary Evans Ellis Burr. Melinda attended Arkansas State University and was chapter president for the Chi Omega sorority before graduating with an English degree and finding a job teaching in Marianna.

It was in Marianna where she met her future husband on a blind date on Valentines Day. Paul Howe Elphingstone and Melinda Burr were married June 28, 1965, and were together for 56 years.

Paul and Melinda started their life and family (son David, daughter Suzanne) in Arkansas, and after a couple of moves, settled in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1981. Melinda returned to work in Ohio as a part time bookkeeper for St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lakewood. At the Church, she met Rosemary, who shared her love of the Cleveland Indians, and the two of them joined the Wahoo Club and enjoyed season tickets, travel games, and spring training trips for many years. Melinda also loved to work on house projects with her husband, Paul, fly fish in her retirement years with her son David, and watch anything horse related with her daughter, Suzanne.

In 1998 when they retired, Melinda and Paul moved back to Paragould. But after being there a few years and rebuilding yet another house, they were antsy, so they sold everything and started RV'ing the nation. That RV made frequent stops near her children in Colorado and Kentucky, and would stay for a month or more at a time. It also became a yearly tradition each summer to take her two grandsons along on their travels for an extended trip. Some of the crazy pictures with those boys during those trips really shows the silly sense of humor she had.

Melinda was diagnosed with Alzheimer's around 2016. Following the diagnosis, she and Paul settled down in Jonesboro, where they remained until Paul's death in 2021. After his passing, David asked her to come live in Colorado. There he found an excellent memory care facility which helped him provide her with the care she required to live happily despite the progression of the Alzheimer's.

Melinda is survived by her son, David Paul (wife Megan Hanley Elphingstone) of Boulder, Colo.; daughter, Suzanne (husband Brian Kevin Carpenter) of Versailles, Ky.; two grandsons, Luke David Elphingstone of Grand Junction, Colo., and John Paul Elphingstone of Boulder, Colo.; sister, Virginia Burr of Paragould; and nephew, Payton Matthew (wife Megan League Burr) of Paragould.

A memorial service will be held on Nov. 9 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Jonesboro. The family will be available before the service beginning at 3 p.m. Following the service, Melinda Burr Elphingstone's ashes will be interred in the columbarium at St. Mark's Episcopal Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to suggest a donation in Melinda's name to the Alzheimer's Association or a charity of your choice.