Mervyn "Mel" Douglas O'Roak Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Bradenton, FL - Mervyn “Mel” Douglas O’Roak, passed away on May 13th, 2020 at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife and best friend of 62 years, Betty O’Roak; his daughter Sharon Wallace and her husband Charles; his daughter Debbie Rogers; his son Kevin O’Roak and his wife Janice; his grandchildren Christina Valentin and her husband David, Megan Wallace, Heather Rogers, Erica O’Roak, Amanda Lewis and her husband Jon, and Brandon O’Roak; his great-grandchildren Parker Ellis, Alyssa Ellis, and David Valentin. He was predeceased by his parents, Dale and Virgina O’Roak, and two brothers, Sheldon and Dwayne O’Roak. Mel was born on August 8th, 1939 in Sherman Mills, Maine. He moved to Scarborough, Maine at the age of 4 and graduated from Scarborough High School in 1958 as president of his class. After completing his schooling, he began work for Maine Rubber Products, but had a deep desire to become a police officer. In 1965, his dreams came true by joining the Westbrook Police Department. Over the 38-year career with 20 years of patrol and 18 years of dispatch, he changed and touched the lives of an infinite amount of people with many projects he worked on and initiated. He was the first McGruff Crime Dog in the United States and traveled to Washington DC to receive an official name to take a bite out of crime. Along with the dog, he wanted to find ways to reach the children of the community. A few of these heartfelt outreaches were the officer friendly programs, directing traffic as Santa Claus in Valley Square, volunteering with his daughters’ Rainbow troop, teaching drivers ed with Jim Fahey, and being a CDL teacher at WRVC. As life went on his passions changed to working with the Freemasons, Shriners, and the Blue Knights Motorcycle Club with his Gold Wing motorcycle. With that motorcycle, Mel & Betty traveled the country and made loving friendships. In the Blue Knights, he became Blue Knight of the year in 1997 thanks to his caring nature, bright smile, and deep enjoyment in life. During his less active years, he focused on the little things in life. There wasn’t a day where Live PD and Hallmark movies weren’t on the TV. No matter how many times he’d seen them, there wasn’t a single reason to avoid something that brought joy. His other great love was his many Kindles and whatever great deal he could find on book bundles. Cuddling with Oreo the cat and looking up family ancestry was a top must do for a fun day. The family would like to send extra love and gratitude to the dialysis nurses and doctors in both Maine (Southern Maine Dialysis Facility) and Florida (Fresenius Kidney Care) for making the club a friendly experience. You were friends and family and we will be forever grateful for you did. All in all, Mel was the best man you could have met. There was no where you could go where someone wouldn’t know him and if they didn’t, it wouldn’t take long for you to know his laugh. You would never see him without a smile and a welcoming handshake. The world lost a light but gained the greatest protector of a guardian angel. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Mel's name to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org. A visitation will be held at Dolby Blais Segee Westbrook Chapel 35 Church Street on Friday, August 7, 2020 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, with a Memorial Service on Saturday August 8, 2020 at 10:00am at the funeral home. Masks are required at visitation

Mervyn "Mel" Douglas O'Roak

August 8, 1939 - May 13, 2020