George “Skip” Melk, Jr., age 89 and 301 days, died on March 2nd in Arizona. He was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather–a true friend to all who knew him. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Darlene Melk. George and Darlene raised their family in Plainfield, WI. George was the third generation to operate a family flower farm. Along with his brothers Robert and Kenneth, George helped relocate and operate the family business “Waushara Gardens” in the township of Plainfield. His gladiolus fields were a local landmark of color and beauty, and brought joy to countless customers far and wide for more than four decades.
George was born in Milwaukee to Ruth and George Melk, Sr. George moved the family gladiolus business from Mequon to a farm outside of Plainfield in the late 1960s, the community he loved and called his forever home.
George adored his wife, Darlene. This was never more apparent than when he was in the hospital recently; he jauntily whistled, wiggled his fingers, and Darlene knew to take his hand. He loved to tell the story of when he and Darlene met on August 25, 1957 at the Eagle’s Club in Milwaukee. He was drawn to her for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that she was from North Dakota.
A patriotic American, he was a veteran of the Air Force reserve who was called to duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the weekend of his wedding, which had to be postponed. George had great respect for veterans.
George was active in small town living. One of his proudest accomplishments was being part of the Plainfield Library Board with a dedicated team that ultimately created a top-notch library for the community. In addition, he helped spearhead the renovation of the Plainfield Veteran’s Park, home to so many community events, reunions, and softball games. George loved baseball and was influential in organizing leagues for anyone who wanted to play, including years serving as a coach for youth teams.
A true woodsman and avid hunter, George shot 49 bucks during his life and could tell you exactly where and with which rifle he used for each one. Bow season led to gun season led to turkey hunting. George lived to hunt.
George was an opera aficionado and had a love of music from Mexico and Spain. He was an avid reader and a writer of stories. He had a tremendous knowledge of history, particularly of the North American fur trade and World War II; a family joke is how he often found mistakes on historical markers.
George was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth, his son-in-law, Robert Vuillaume, and his brothers-in-law Joseph Denk, Rogers Ebertowski and Frank Beer. George’s sister, Margery Beer, passed away just a day after George.
George is survived by his wife and their four children - AnneMarie (Steven) Feyrer-Melk, Karen Melk (David), Julia Melk, and Jonathan (Darlene) Melk, who made him proud everyday. His children cherish their countless memories of their father, including those made while working in the gladiolus fields. After all, how many people can say they were raised on a gladiolus farm? As an employer, George patiently provided many local youth with their first real world work experience on the farm, and many adults in turn supported their own families while employed by Waushara Gardens.
In addition to Darlene and his children, George is survived by his grandchildren (Madeline (Tom), Madison (Garrett), Amara (Graham), Anya (Jason), Ava, Armand, Johnna, Jake, Davis, Jonathan George, and Charles); and great-grandchildren Amalia, Clara, Noel and Riley. He is also survived by his dear brother Robert (Carol), special sisters-in-law Debbie Denk and Esther Ebertowski, Matthew Melk, son of his brother Kenneth, and numerous nieces and nephews. Special mention to his best friend from grade school, Don Gross, special cousins Jean and Don Cattani, and dear friends Bob and Brenda Buchberger.
George often said he had a great life; the only thing he didn’t get to do was pay his respects at Pearl Harbor. His children will do this for him. Heaven gained a beautiful soul, looking for a place called Plainfield and, of course, that fiftieth buck.
Celebration of Life: George was a faithful Catholic and long time member of the St. Paul’s Catholic Church parish. Services will be held:
July 18, 2026
St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Plainfield.
9:00 - 11:00 am Church Visitation
11:00 am - Holy Mass followed by Military Honor’s Salute
12:30 pm - Light refreshments at Stark’s & Luce Walkers Room Coffee Parlour (downtown Plainfield)
