Melva J. Essex, age 93, of Oquawka, Illinois, passed away at 6:40 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2024, in the Betty's Garden wing of Courtyard Estates in Monmouth, Illinois. Melva was born on January 23, 1931, in rural Rozetta, Illinois and is the daughter of Joseph J. and Martha M. (Collins) McVey. Melva spent her early childhood in Rozetta. At the age of ten, the family moved to Oquawka, Illinois where she later graduated from G & O High School. Melva married Jimmie Lee Essex on March 11, 1950, in Gladstone, and he preceded her in death on January 5, 1997. Melva began work as an operator for the telephone company in Oquawka, Illinois. She then was an assembler for fifteen years at Sylvania in Burlington, Iowa. Her favorite title, however, was being a Grandma and babysitting her grandchildren in her home while they were growing up. Melva loved to go to yard sales and flea markets. She loved cooking, planting flowers, quilting, embroidering, and doing puzzles. She was a member of the

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