Melvin "Mel" of Loveland and Monroe. Loving husband of 69 years to the late Patricia (nee Pattison) Lakness. Beloved father of Jean Crocker-Lakness of Madeira and Katherine Lakness Kinane of New Hartford, CT. Devoted grandfather of four grandsons. Mel retired from General Electric in 1976 after 40 years. He was quality manager in the B-1 bomber jet engine program at Evendale. He started as an electrical engineer and moved to management jobs in engineering, manufacturing and quality control. Mr. Lakness graduated from the University of Utah in 1936 and received an MBA from Xavier University in 1973. He taught management courses as an adjunct instructor at UC's Clermont College from 1973 to 1983. He was born and grew up in the Rocky Montain West, in Utah, Idaho and Oregon. A Reserve Officer, he served for 4 years in WWII in Radar, being discharged as a Major. He had previously served as a sergeant in the National Guard. The major hobby for him and his wife Pat was travel. In addition to all of the usual destinations in Europe, they went to such places as Siberia, Iceland, Bali, Australia, Kenya, Patagonia, and Viet Nam. On their 50th wedding anniversery in 1987 they went around the world by way of Fiji, New Guinea, and Burma. They had traveled in all the states and provinces of Canada, Mexico and the United States, mostly in their RV. Other hobbies included bridge, golf, computers and bird-watching in places like the Galapagos Islands. Mel and Pat lived in Loveland for 20 years where he was president of Kiwanis, Loveland Historical Society and Pheasant Hills Association. He was a member of serveral Loveland City Committees. They moved to Mount Pleasant retirement village in Monroe in 1989, where he was active in bridge, as computer instructor and as Sunday School teacher at Monroe Presbyterian Church. Mel died Saturday, December 1, 2007 at Madeira Health Care Center. He was 93 years old. Directions to the Monroe Presbyterian Church 57 West Elm Street (phone 539-7170) I-75 north exit 29 turn left onto OH 63 1.5 miles turn left at Cincinnati- Dayton Road/ N. Main Street go 0.2 miles turn right at West Elm Street. church is 0.1 mi In lieu of flowers family request that memorial contributions be directed to the Patricia Pattison Lakness Scholarship, Westminister College, 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105.