“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” II Corinthians 5:8
That passage of scripture is one in which Retta Joan Crowl Mellick placed her faith, especially in later years when her body began to fail. Retta became present with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ during the early morning hours of June 6, 2020. She was 86 years old.
Born in Mansfield, Ohio, on September 19, 1933, to David and Mary Crowl, Retta attended Madison schools and then Mansfield Senior High School her senior year. She caught the eye of a young man in the neighborhood, Russell Mellick, who asked Retta if she would go to the Loudonville Street Fair with him; she did, they married and the couple went on to spend the next fifty-eight years together.
A 70-year member of Ridgeway First Church of God, Retta taught Sunday school and also served in many other capacities, including singing with the choir and church quartet.
During her working life, Retta was employed with Columbia Gas for twenty years and MedCentral/OhioHealth Hospital, where she spent 10 years, retiring at age 75.
Retta enjoyed crocheting hats for babies and cancer patients, creating and gifting wallpaper art pictures and, most of all, spreading God’s word through her bible study groups, Joyful Journey and Grace Girls. Family gatherings, be they holidays or picnics, were always lively with Retta in attendance because you never knew what she was going to say. Retta looked forward to family trips to Lake Erie and adventures in general.
Surviving are her son, Steven (Becky) Mellick of Mount Vernon; daughter, Stacy (Tim) Clark of Mansfield; brother, Eddie (Janet) Crowl of Mansfield; sister, Linda (Carl) McNew of Deland, FL; grandchildren, Makenzie (Nate) Frazee of Gambier, OH, Cory (Allison) Prater of Mansfield, Shawn (Torie) Prater of Columbus, Travis (Desiree Kilgore) Clark of Port St. Lucie, FL, and Tyler Clark of Port St. Lucie; great-grandchildren, Emberlyn Mellick, Mila Prater and Raelynn Clark; and a host of nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents, Retta was preceded in death by husband, Edward Russell Mellick; infant grandson, Jonathan Mellick; and niece, Jodie Thompson.
A celebration of life will be held at Ridgeway First Church of God, 1380 Park Avenue East, Mansfield, on Saturday, June 27, 2020, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. A memorial service led by Pastor John Dodds and Associate Pastor Billy Saunders will immediately follow at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Ridgeway First Church of God in Retta’s name. The Ontario Home of Wappner Funeral Directors is honored to serve the family.
Words of comfort may be expressed to the family at www.wappner.com.
