GIBSON CITY - Melvin C. Rippel, 94, of Gibson City, formerly of Lexington, died at 7:15 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 3, 2008) at the Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Colfax.

His funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the American Evangelical Lutheran Church, Gibson City, with the Rev. David Pavesic officiating. Burial will be in East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lamb Funeral Home, Gibson City.

Melvin was born Oct. 14, 1913, in Secor, a son of Ferdinand J. and Clara Miller Ripple. He married Helen Belcher in Bloomington, on March 8, 1944. She passed away on Oct. 29, 2001.

He is survived by a daughter, Diane (James) Billingsley of Colfax; two grandsons, Matthew of Colfax and Curtis (Trina) of Lexington; four great-grandchildren, Ryan, Lauren, Zachary, and Sydney Billingsley; a sister, Alma (Harold) Bonar of El Paso; a brother, George (Betty) Ripple of Bloomington; and several nieces and nephews.

He lived in Lexington and Gibson City, where he farmed until his retirement in 1979. They moved to Gibson City in 1980. He was a lifetime member (64 years) of the Elmo F. Hill Post 291 in Lexington and the American Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gibson City. He was a World War II veteran.

His greatest joys were his family, eating out, woodworking, and being able to run the combine for his son-in-law and grandson from the 1980s to 2001.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to his church.