William Melby
William “Bill” Melby, age 74, of Porter, MN, passed away Thursday, April 29, 2021, at the Sylvan Court Nursing Home in Canby, MN. Memorial service will be 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, at Bethel Lutheran Church in Porter. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, at the Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel in Canby. Burial will be in the Wergeland Cemetery, Porter, MN.
William John Melby was born on July 12, 1946, to Bud and Harriette (Tulson) Melby in Canby, MN. He attended elementary and high school in Canby, followed by Willmar Vocational school and Minnesota West, Canby and Granite Falls. Upon completion of high school, he enlisted in the Air Force, did his training at several different bases in the U.S. and then got sent to Germany for 2 1/2 years, during the Vietnam era but, fortunately, didn’t have to serve in that country. He loved his time spent there and made some lifelong friends while serving over there.
He met his future wife, Kristine Carstensen, in 1969, and they were married on Oct 5, 1974, in Marshall, Minnesota. Three children were born to them, Joni Lynn, Susan Elizabeth (stillborn) and Laurie Beth.
Bill, as he liked to be known, had a few interests in his life, beginning with deer hunting with his dad. They were known to travel to northern Minnesota, where an aunt and uncle lived, to hunt deer with his uncle Cap. They were also known to hunt a bear, successfully no less, but only occasionally. They discovered that bear meat is very greasy!!!! Shooting in later life consisted of shooting trap, again with his dad and even later with daughter, Joni. At that time, it was very unusual to have several members of one family shoot on the same team!
I think he must have read an entire library of books in his lifetime!! He loved to read, mainly history books and mysteries. Again, in later years, he learned how to operate the computer and used some drafting programs on there.
In 1995, he was diagnosed with diabetes and has been struggling with that ever since. He was on dialysis for over five years before finally succumbing on April 29, 2021, at the age of 74.
He is survived by his wife, Kris of Porter; daughters, Joni and Laurie (special friend Hunter) of Canby; sister-in-law, Linda Haas of Milwaukee, WI; in-laws, Rick (Mary) Carstensen, Lois (Joe) McGeary, Al Carstensen, Neal (Bernadette) Carstensen; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one infant daughter; brother, Wally Haas; and sister-in-law, Donna Carstensen.