Melba Mulder's Obituary
Melba Mulder, 72, passed away January 23rd, 2025, at the Poppen Hospice Residence. She was born in New Madrid, Missouri on August 24, 1952, to Herman and Joella Adams. Melba graduated from Penn High School in Mishawaka, Indiana before moving to Florida to settle in the Tampa / Sarasota area. In Florida, Melba worked as an IP researcher on patent description and registration at various legal firms, including 26 years at Stein, Reese and Prescott in Sarasota from 1982-2008. Melba married Jack Mulder on December 31, 1988, in Sarasota, Florida, and she co-owned the Classic Wax Blues Bar with her husband where she met many blues legends. She relocated to Michigan in 2008. She worked for Unik sales until a few weeks before her passing, having lived her life working hard and being generous to others with her time and attention. She, like her husband, had a love for animals and adopted and fostered pets, often elderly or disabled, from various shelters. She and her husband also for a time hosted live blues concerts on their property to support various philanthropic projects, most notably to raise funds for the Pound Buddies organization. Melba was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Vickie Wyatt, and her brother Glenn Adams. Melba is survived by her brother Micheal (Karen) Adams of Mishawaka, Indiana, her nephew Jeffrey (Janet) Wyatt and his son Matthew of White Pigeon, Michigan, her niece Kimberly (Mary) Dutterer of Pasadena, Maryland, other nieces and nephews, and a plethora of dear friends from over the years. She was bright and somber, temperamental and steady, a giver with a sense of humor, a strong-willed independent sweetheart. She was all these things and more. She was Melba.
Per her request, Melba will be cremated with no services at this time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Pound Buddies through their website www.poundbuddies.org . Shoreline Memorial Services is handling the arrangements.
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