Melba Hope (Reese) Hill, 91, passed away peacefully on January 2, 2023, in Springfield, Missouri. She was born on December 4, 1931, in Shannon County, Missouri, to Melvin J. and Vera Maurine Reese. Melba had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years and was living under the care of a nursing home in Springfield, Missouri, at the time of her passing.
Melba married William E. “Ed” Hill on March 21, 1951. Melba worked at the Angelica factory in Mountain View, Missouri, for several years before “retiring” to work alongside her husband, Ed, on their dairy farm. Melba loved country life and never turned away a stray animal. She and Ed didn’t have children of their own, but she was always eager and available to keep her sister’s children, Jana, Randa, and Brian, all of whom she adored. She was an avid reader and also loved beautiful fashion. The family fondly remembers her always being well-dressed and sporting her iconic red hairdo, even to milk the cows! Her nieces and nephew called her Aunt BoBo since the time Jana, the oldest, began to talk and couldn’t quite pronounce Melba. Most of her close family members then began to call her BoBo as well and continued doing so from that time forward. Even during her stay at the nursing home and into death, the nurses and aids lovingly called her by her favorite nickname, BoBo. She will be sadly missed by her family and friends.
Melba is preceded in death by her brother, Rex Dow “Gabby”; her parents, Melvin and Maurine; and her husband, Ed.
She is survived by her sister, Twila (John) Delling of Nixa, MO; nieces, Jana Mashburn of Kingsville, MO, and Randa Cobb of Nixa, MO; one nephew, Brian Delling of Republic, MO; 11 great-nieces and nephews; and 17 great-great-nieces and nephews. She is also survived by Ed’s niece, Sandra K. Pessell of Henderson, NV.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at Yarber Mortuary, Mountain View, Missouri. Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortuary.com.
