Melba Schlimmer

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Melba Schlimmer, of East Tawas, Mich., passed away Saturday, April 1, 2017.

She was born February 23, 1938, in Columbia to William O. and Fannie L. (Powell) Corbin. She attended Adair County schools. The family was very involved in Beulah Chapel Brethren in Christ Church.

After graduating from high school, she moved to Ann Arbor, Mich. where she worked as a telephone operator for Michigan Bell. She married Neil C. Schlimmer on Jan. 31, 1959.

Melba and Neil raised three sons in the Ann Arbor area, but they often returned to her hometown in Kentucky to spend time with her family. She had a beautiful voice and she and her sisters spent many hours singing hymns and spiritual songs. These “jam sessions” continued throughout her lifetime.

Melba had a keen mind for finances and was integral in managing the books for Schlimmer Decorating. She was also an entrepreneur in her own right. Always a fashionable dresser with a background in retail, in the early 1980’s she founded and operated the Village Apparel Shop, with stores in Hamburg, Pinckney and Whitmore Lake.

After many years as successful independent business owners, she and Neil retired to East Tawas. Full of creativity and positive energy, she turned her focus to real estate. She had a penchant for flipping houses. Into these homes she invited family and friends and shared her knowledge of home-style cooking, gardening, interior decorating, sewing and a regular game of euchre. Everyone wanted to be her partner; she was a winner. Other interests included bowling, travel, a good game show and a spin on the Wheel of Fortune slot machine.

Her generosity, spirit and love for family could be seen in the nurturing relationships she had with her grandchildren. Whether teaching them her work, taking them birthday shopping, making a cozy quilt or mashed potatoes for dinner, her love for them was deep.

Those left to honor her legacy include her husband, Neil; her children, Charles (Joan), Jeff (Sarah) and Doug (Cori); her grandchildren, Scott, Jessalyn (Brandon), Tyler, Nicholas and Carson; her great grandchildren, Corey and Adelle; siblings, Margaret Corbin, Enola (Don) Gifford, Janet Sewell, Elaine (Dick) Brothers, Betty Corbin, Phyllis (Pat) Minnick, Reta (Bob) Moss and a large family of extended in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

Melba was preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers Kenneth and J.W. Corbin.

A celebration of Melba’s life is today at Orchard Grove Community Church in Walled Lake, Mich.

This obituary information is a courtesy of Grissom-Martin Funeral Home.

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