Diane M. Mellott

Diane M. Mellott, 74, a Saginaw resident for over 40 years, passed away Tuesday, January 20, 2015.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Biggers Funeral Chapel. Private committal will be in Saginaw Cemetery. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations be made in Diane’s name to Cancer Assistance Fund of North Texas (www.cafnt.org).

After graduating from East Dubuque High School in 1958, Mrs. Mellott served in the United States Air Force as a medical service specialist stationed at Carswell AFB from 1958-61. During her tenure there, she met her soulmate, Jack Mellott, and they were married in September 1961. They were lifelong companions who did everything together and were married for 52 wonderful years until Jack’s death in 2013.

Diane found her professional calling in the early 1970s when she became a teaching assistant at Saginaw Elementary. Her love for children and education was endless and she began attending college nights and weekends, eventually graduating from Texas Woman’s University in 1977. She then embarked on a distinguished career as a classroom teacher in the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD that spanned over 20 years and included both elementary and secondary level students. Many of these students still proclaim that “Mrs. Mellott was my favorite teacher ever!”

Diane was a creative person and enjoyed many hobbies throughout her life. She was an accomplished painter and loved all types of arts and crafts. She was also a huge Elvis Presley fan and collected many Elvis related items over the years. Recently, she spent many cherished hours gaming and chatting online with her beloved sisters, and it was spending time with her family that she enjoyed most of all.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jack Mellott; sisters, Shirley Slaats, Carol Slaats Larson and husband, Don; and brother, Joe Slaats.

Diane’s survivors include her son, Chuck Mellott and wife, Lisa, of Fort Worth; sisters, Evie Slaats Brady and husband, Ben, and Fran Slaats Ploessl; brothers, Bob Slaats and wife, Linda, and Ed Slaats and wife, Kathy, all of East Dubuque, Illinois; grandson, Nick Mellott; granddaughter, Lauren Mellott; and numerous nieces and nephews.