James T. Melka Sr. ran a small restaurant, the Chat ‘n Chew, before completing mortuary science studies and opening a Mt. Greenwood funeral home, where he remained as director for 50 years.
Mr. Melka, 78, died Tuesday, Oct. 9, of heart failure at his Frankfort home, said his son, James Jr.
With a loan from his parents and money he had saved from the restaurant business, Mr. Melka built the Beverly Ridge Funeral Home at 104th Street and Kedzie Avenue in 1957, his son said.
His parents sold their home and lived on one side of the funeral home’s second floor; Mr. Melka’s family lived on the other. Mr. Melka continued to live above his business until moving to the suburbs in 1971.
He sold the funeral home in 1991 but continued to work as the funeral director until only a few weeks before his death, his son said.
Raised on the South Side, Mr. Melka graduated from Lindblom High School and attended Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University.) He held a variety of jobs, including in the radio department at a Sears store at 62nd Street and Western Avenue, where his mother oversaw coal sales for many years, his son said.
He ran a couple of hot dog stands and with a partner operated the Chat ‘n Chew restaurant on 95th Street.
After getting a degree from Worsham College of Mortuary Science and completing an apprenticeship at a South Side funeral home, he opened his own funeral home, his son said.
Mr. Melka was active in a number of Mt. Greenwood civic organizations, including the Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus. He was a longtime usher at St. John Fisher Catholic Church, which he continued to attend even after moving out of the city.
Mr. Melka’s wife, Eleanor, died five years ago. In addition to his son, other survivors include three daughters, Mary Ellen Skrobin, Carol Ireland and Susan Aschacher; and nine grandchildren.
Visitation is set for 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at Beverly Ridge Funeral Home, 10415 S. Kedzie Ave. Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John Fisher Catholic Church, 10234 S. Washtenaw Ave.
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ttjensen@tribune.com
