Melody (Leach) Medley

Melody Medley, age 91, of Rison, died Sunday, February 27, 2005, in the Dallas County Medical Center at Fordyce. Born March 26, 1913 at Lyndon, Illinois, she was a daughter of the late Martin Marshall and Mary Olson Leach. 

She became a Registered Nurse in 1940 and returned to college at the age of 66 to obtain her Nurse Practitioner License. Medley served as Director of Nursing at the Cleveland County Hospital where she was the leader of the first candy stripers. She also worked at the Cleveland County Nursing Home and Dallas County Nursing Home. She retired at 89 and at the age of 90 was honored by the Arkansas State Nursing Association for her nursing achievements. 

She was active in the American Red Cross and their blood drives, served on the Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council for several years, was a Silver Haired Legislature Representative and pageant contestant, a nuclear waste dump activist, taught first aid to the local Boy Scouts and drove an 18 wheeler with her husband for several years.  She had a dual membership with the Protestand Friends & Society and the Rison United Methodist Church, where she was a member and leader of the Missionary Guild, a Sunday School teacher, Bible School teacher and a member of the church board. 

Other than her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Larry L. Medley; a daughter, Lolly Medley; two brothers, Myron Leach and David Leach; four sister, Maxine Stainaker, Ruth Higginbotham, Leila Smith and Jean Bigler. Survivors include one son, State Representative Jim K. Medley of Forth Smith; one daughter, Michele M. Ivers of Rison; one foster daughter, Donna M. Kelly of Grandview, MO; 13 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 2, in the Buie Funeral Home Chapel in RIson with Rev. Don Johnson officiating. Burial was in the Greenwood Cemetery by Buie Funeral Home of Rison. Memorials may be made to the American Red Cross or the Rison United Methodist Church.

Source: Fordyce News Advocate, 2 Mar 2005