SILVER SPRING, MD—John Wesley Melton III, MD, 83, passed unexpectedly but peacefully at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., on January 8, 2025. He had relocated to Silver Spring from Reedville in 2023.
He was born in Richmond on July 12, 1941, beloved son of the late John Wesley Melton Jr. and Virginia Bernadine Melton. He spent his life dedicated to the wellbeing of his patients, families, and friends and is survived by loving wife, Lynn Monahan Melton; his son, John IV; daughter, Teresa Douglas; and cherished grandchildren, Logan and Marshall; stepson, Christopher Vaughan, wife Lora and their daughters, Keira and Farrah.
He was a proud alumnus of Hermitage High School (1959), Hampden-Sidney College (1963), Medical College of Virginia (1967) and New York University School of Medicine Rheumatology Fellowship. He practiced in Washington, D.C., then Chevy Chase, Md., beginning in 1973.
He later joined the Chesapeake Medical Group in Lively in 2007 while semi-retired in Reedville and did retire in 2017. In addition to his practice, he served as chief of rheumatology at Sibley Hospital and a term as president of the Arthritis Foundation. In 2020, he took multiple classes, renewed his medical license and volunteered in COVID vaccination clinics throughout the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula and was recognized for his extended service.
He also served as secretary of the Northumberland County Democratic Committee.
Dr. Melton loved to take his boat, At Last, out on local waters, tend his garden and can the produce to share with family and friends. He loved to cook and entertain and he found great joy in helping others enjoy his talents as well. He loved traveling and sampling new cultures and cuisines.
He doted on his Portuguese water dogs—first Lola, then Bria, recently Alegra, and spoiled them with home cooked meals. He was an early adopter of technology, actually built some of his earliest computers and was always upgrading to the newest devices available. He also loved music with a special enthusiasm for Dave Brubeck and what he termed “white boy jazz,” Ray Charles and Tina Turner. He later discovered Irish traditional music and spent his last three vacations touring Ireland guided by Irish musicians.
John Wesley Melton will be profoundly missed by all privileged to know him through his years as a caring physician, husband, father and friend. He enriched many lives through his remarkable years and his generous, caring spirit will continue to resonate in their hearts.
There will be a family burial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 25, at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond on January 25.
