Obituary - Melvin L. Holben

Steam burns fatal to former Geneseean

MOSES LAKE, Wash. -- A former Genesee resident, Melvin lee Holben, 53, died Oct. 26 at Harborview Medical Center at Seattle of steam burns suffered Oct. 25 at a sugar beet processing plant at Moses Lake.

Holben was cleaning a steam exhaust filter pipe at the U & I Sugar Co. plant when he was burned. He was taken by ambulance to Seattle.

He was born Dec. 22, 1920, at Genesee to Mr. and Mrs. Meredith Holben. He grew up on a farm south of there and graduated from Moscow HIgh School. He attended Washington State University from 1942 to 1944, where he played freshman and varsity football.

He served with the infantry in the first occupational forces into the Philippines and Japan in 1945.

Holben married Betty Van Horn at Clarkston in 1949. He farmed in the Endicott area for eight years before moving to Moses Lake. He was active in church and youth organizations.

Survivors in addition to his widow include three daughters, Cynthia Bus of Sunnyside, Sylvia Allen of Tacoma and Kathy at home; three sons, Mark, Kirk and Bruce at home; two sisters, Ann Bardwell at Lewiston and Joyce Verney at Spokane; two brothers, Marion Holben at Genesee and Damon Holben at Walcott, Ark., and his father at Caldwell.

A memorial service was held Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church at Moses Lake.

Unidentified newspaper, (handwritten date 1974)
Transcribed by Jill Leonard Nock

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