Melba Ann Collins McCorkle, 95, passed peacefully on March 31, 2025, at Wesley Pines in Lumberton.

Melba was born in Lumberton, NC on August 10, 1929 to Annie Meares Collins and Haynes Collins. She graduated from Lumberton Senior High School and attended Mars Hill College, where she took business courses.  Melba was a majorette with the marching band at both LHS and Mars Hill and, in later years, regularly entertained the neighborhood children with her ability to march and twirl.

Melba married Johnny McCorkle in 1951; they had known each other since early childhood and began dating at age 16. Except for a brief time in Texas during Johnny's military service, the two made their home in Lumberton, where Melba worked for over thirty years at The Lumberton Children's Clinic.  She was there when the practice began and for a long stretch of time, she seemed to know every child in town, something she treasured. She dressed up as a clown on Halloween. She could type faster than the speed of light and she could play the piano by ear—any request—and loved playing and singing both hymns and standards. Melba was a member of First Baptist Church of Lumberton since the cradle roll and as long as she was able, she was actively involved with her Sunday school class and various roles in service to the church.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Annie Meares Collins and Haynes Arthur Collins; her husband, John Wesley McCorkle, Jr., who died in 1993; and her three siblings: Helen Collins Patterson, Edward Haynes Collins, and Joe Pierce Collins.

She is survived by her two daughters, Jan McCorkle Gane and her husband, Lacey Earl Gane II, and Jill McCorkle and her husband, Tom Rankin; four grandchildren: Josh Gane (Evelia), Annie Gane Floor (Erik), Claudia Shapiro, and Rob Shapiro (Ashlee); four great-grandchildren: Lacey, Kate, and Mia Floor and Ariana Gane and one on the way; as well as loving nieces and nephews and a host of friends.

The family extends a thanks to her caregivers through the years and to the staff at Wesley Pines who have made this final stretch of her journey comfortable and peaceful.  We thank her sitter, Lou Bodiford, whose loving devotion brought her dignity and grace.

There will be a service at First Baptist Church of Lumberton on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at 11:00 AM with receiving after.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to: First Baptist Church of Lumberton (606 N. Walnut St., Lumberton, NC 28358);  Gentiva Hospice  ( 2600 N. Elm St., Lumberton, NC 28358); or Benevolence Fund of Wesley Pines (1000 Wesley Pines Rd., Lumberton, NC 28358).