Melvin Glen Curry

Melvin Glen Curry, husband, father and entrepreneur, died Wednesday at Saint Francis Hospital, at 79. Melvin was born July 12, 1936 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and spent his early years in Arlington, Texas, where he lived until he was six, before returning to Tulsa in the early 1940s.

In 1954, after graduating from Will Rogers High School, he volunteered for the Navy. His marksmanship and mastery of swimming was noticed by the Navy Special Forces, and he was recruited into the Underwater Demolition Team (which became the Navy Seals a year later). Melvin attended college at the University of California – Berkeley, Northeastern Oklahoma University, and Tulsa University, where he studied Chemical Engineering and Math. He married Carolyn Elizabeth Hales on September 4th, 1959, and has three sons – Stephen Kent, Craig Glen and Chris Lynn. In the 1960s, Melvin worked as a private detective, installed security systems, and won recognition as one of Prudential Insurance’s top salesmen nationwide. Later, Melvin left Prudential to join Itek, a company which specialized in high tech imaging, including specialized camera systems for spy satellites. After leaving Itek in 1972, he founded Microphoto Data. He served as the President of the Association of Records Management and Administrators, and was well known by businessmen throughout the region. After retiring in the late 1990s, Melvin started Systec, a provider of local network computing solutions.

Melvin enjoyed attending the Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Symphony and Broadway Shows, and was an avid NASCAR and college football fan. He was passionate about the outdoors and his favorite hobbies were fishing and hunting. All of his sons were active in Boy Scouts, with both Stephen and Craig becoming Eagles. He championed their hobbies, including basketball, soccer and music. He was a master mechanic, and rebuilt and restored many cars. He loved rose gardening, dark chocolate and scotch whiskey.

His marriage of 58 years was his crowning achievement - an extraordinary mixture of love, trust, faith, and hard work. Melvin was a family man who laughed a lot and was quick to find humor in almost any situation. He loved his family, and strove his whole life to take care of his parents, wife, children and grandchildren, despite the trials of physical injuries and pain that would stop most men. He was the “go-to-guy” for advice or an opinion on or about anything. Most of all he was a man of discipline, motivated by love.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Carolyn Elizabeth Hales, his three sons, Stephen, Craig and Christopher, his niece Cindy Evaro, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was pre- deceased by his father, Leo Glenn Curry, mother Hazel Irene Hodges, and sister, Diane Curry.

Visitation will be held 6:00 - 8:00 PM, Friday, March 11, 2016 and funeral service will be held 10:00 AM, Saturday, March 12, 2016 both at the Schaudt-Teel Funeral Service, Tulsa.