Melba Edith Halgren passed away Tuesday, July 20, 2021. She was surrounded by her family. She was loved by many and will be greatly missed. She touched countless lives in her 72 years. Melba will always be remembered for the love and devotion she showed her family, her contagious laugh, and her sassy attitude.

Melba was born April 10, 1949 in Ephraim, UT to Delon Peterson and Mildred Draper. She was raised in Salem, OR alongside her sisters, Vervene and Ava. She married Gary Harris and they had two children, Jennifer and Troy. She later married Alan Halgren and moved to Vancouver, WA. Melba and her children became a blended family with Alan and his children, Patrick and Holi. Melba and Alan had five more children together: Aaron, Jared, Sarah, Laura, and Emily.

Melba's family was her greatest joy in life. She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a loving, giving, and supportive matriarch. She was always there for her family.

Melba worked hard to provide for her family throughout her life. She was a secretary, house cleaner, and house painter. She was a licensed daycare provider for 32 years. She loved working with children while being at home with her family. She served as president, vice president, and secretary on the board of the Clark County Family Childcare Association. She was also a representative for her daycare union, SEIU 925. Education was important to Melba. She earned an AAS from Chemeketa Community College, an AA from Clark College, and a BA in Social Science from Washington State University Vancouver. Melba was an active member of her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She loved the gospel. She was passionate about politics. She was a diehard Democrat. Melba loved spending time with her family, snuggling with her dogs, watching her shows, reading, doing puzzles, and playing Aggravation.

Melba is survived by her husband of 43 years, Alan; her 9 children, Jennifer, Patrick, Troy, Holi (Troy), Aaron (Elena), Jared (Rachel), Sarah, Laura (Mark), and Emily (Nathan); her 21 grandchildren, Austin (Nicole), Ashley (Ben), Paige, Christian, Sofia, Ava, Stella, Ariana, Kaitlyn, Olivia, Leo, Brandon, Alex, Mary, Leah, James, Isaac, Tyler, Anna, Charles, and Madeline; her great-grandchild, Evelynn; her dogs, Cheeco and Bochi; and her sister, Vervene. She was preceded in death by her parents, Delon and Mildred, and her sister, Ava.

Services to celebrate Melba's life were held at the Hazel Dell chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2223 NW 99th St, Vancouver, WA 98665 on July 24th at 11:00 AM.