Gene "Mountain Man" Melton

Gene “Mountain Man” Melton, age 79, of Ellenboro, passed away Sunday, May 4, 2025 at Rutherford Regional Medical Center.

Gene was born on Saturday, July 7, 1945 in Rutherford County to the late Ralph E. Melton and Betty Boone Melton. He was a truck driver for over twenty-five years, having driven for Carolina Freight and ABF Trucking. Gene was member of Corinth Baptist Church and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was also an avid John Wayne fan. Gene was known for calling everyone that he met by the name, “Jack.”

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by an infant son, Gene Melton, Jr.; sister-in-law, Cindy Melton and a great niece, Morgan Bristol.

Those left to cherish his memory include his brother, Chris E. Melton of Ellenboro; nieces, Christy Ledbetter (Josh) of Forest City and Kim Robbins (Joe) of Charlotte; great nieces, Adelyn Ledbetter, Sadie Robbins and his companion pet dog, Jodie.

A memorial service will be conducted at 1:00 pm on Saturday, May 10th at the Harrelson Funeral Chapel with Reverend Scott Butler officiating.

Memorial donations are requested to Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, PO Box 336, Forest City, NC 28043