Melba Collard

Melba was born in Chicago Illinois to Rogers Williams Lynch and Mabel Lynch (nee, Johnson) both preceded her in death. She attended grade school in Chicago. The family moved to Hopkins Park where she attended St Anne High School. After attending high school, she entered nursing school in Chicago and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She worked as an LPN for the Veterans Administration and started doing private nursing care.

Melba moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Chicago in August 1971. In 1973, her brother Rogers came to join her and in 1975 her daughter Earlena and her granddaughter Pamela also came to be with her. She was ecstatic to have her family with her in Las Vegas. In 1973, she started nursing school at UNLV to obtain her Associate as a Registered Nurse (RN), graduating in 1976. She started working for the Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital as an ICU nurse after graduation (now UMC). After several years, she then worked for Dr. Calvin Maestro and went on to become the private nurse for Benny and Teddy Jane Binion of the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas. She traveled all over the south and northwest with Benny Binion on his big custom Blue Bird RV. Spent a lot of time in Montana and Texas. After working for the Binion’s, she worked as the RN Supervisor for Delmar Gardens where she retired in 2000.

Melba married Earl Woodard Giddings (deceased) in 1956. From this union there were two children, Earlena Giddings Hill of Las Vegas, Nevada and Melvan Giddings (deceased). She and Earl were divorced in 1965, and in 1967, she married Harold Shafter Collard (deceased). She is also survived by three grandchildren - Salaah Swan, Tyler Aston Hill and Jessica Ashley Hill. Her sisters Vehra Waller and Conchetta Williams of Chicago and her brother Rogers Williams Lynch of Las Vegas and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins. She had one great grandson Daanhar Notti Pugh (deceased).

Melba loved spending time with her grandkids, visiting her family in Chicago, doing Sudoku puzzles, scrap booking and working on her family tree. One of her great joys was decorating her home. Visiting her was always a surprise because she loved to add something new or completely change the décor. She was very creative when it came to home decorating. She became interested and started collecting and decorating with African art and artifacts back in the sixties and anyone who has been in her home knows this was the main theme of her home decor. She especially loved to decorate for the holidays and would go all out to decorate for her grandkids to enjoy the holidays. Christmas was her favorite because she loved giving gifts to family and friends.

Most people might not know this about Melba, but she was a dog person, she had many that she has owned and loved or that she loved with her grandchildren over the years, BJ, Pepper, Stuffy Bear, Wicked, Nickie, Betty Boop, Deuce and Leia. Sometimes, she was just happy to be with her dog friends. Many of them have preceded her in death.

Melba was truly loved, and her presence and spirit will be missed by her family, but we all know that she is at peace and is no longer in pain and suffering from her health issues and she has transitioned on to the next phase in her cycle of life.

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