Obituary of Melvin J. Shure

Melvin J. Shure, 98, of Searsmont, Maine, died of natural causes September 1, 2018, in Belfast, Maine. Born May 15, 1920, in Boston, Massachusetts to Carney and Anna Shure, he spent his early years in the Kingdom area of Montville and Belfast, Maine before moving to Springfield, Massachusetts. He attended Springfield College and joined the U.S. Army 5th Infantry Division in 1944 and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. Melvin was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat in northern France in November of 1944. After the war he moved to New Jersey where he worked at Peter J. Schweitzer in Spotswood and Colonial Tank Transport in Edison. He married Selma (Sally) Patt in 1948 and raised his three children in Highland Park, New Jersey. Upon retirement in 1995, Mel and Sally moved to the family home in Searsmont where he was active in the Searsmont Historical Society and the Liberty Lakes Association. He is survived by Sally, his wife of 69 years, and his three children, Kenneth, of Camden, Maine, Anne of Lexington, Massachusetts, Howard of Annapolis, Maryland, his niece Lee Freund of New York City and grandchildren Jeremy Fry and Olivia Shure. He was predeceased by his sister Constance Sable. Arrangements are being made through the Riposta Funeral Home, Belfast, Maine, and internment will be at Oak Grove Cemetery in Searsmont. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Mel’s name be made to the Searsmont Historical Society, PO Box 104, Searsmont, ME 04973 and the Citizens Association of Liberty Lakes, PO Box 186, Liberty, ME. 04949. A Remembrance of his Life will be scheduled over the Columbus Day Weekend in Searsmont.