Born: June 4, 1919
Died: March 20, 2004
Married: Mary Yell
Children: Alvin Yell, Stephen Yell, Gary Yell, Victoria Yell
Melvin Yell was a mechanic and sold cars under the name of Yell's Garage on Lake Colby.
Adirondack Daily Enterprise, March 22, 2004
SARANAC LAKE - Melvin Yell, 84, of Old Lake Colby Road in Saranac Lake, died Saturday, March 20, 2004 at Uihlein Mercy Center in Lake Placid where he had been a resident since Dec. 17, 2002.
Born in Gabriels on June 4, 1919, he was the son of Maynard and Maude (Revette) Yell.
Mr. Yell was a life-long resident of the area. He was a mechanic and sold cars under the name of Yell's Garage on Lake Colby.
He is survived by his wife, Mary of Saranac Lake, three sons: Alvin and his wife Karen of Bloomfield, Stephen and his wife Jan of Punta Gorda, Fla., and Gary of Saranac Lake; one daughter, Victoria and her husband Kurt of Chazy; one brother, Gerald Yell of Bloomingdale; six grandchildren: Nicole Yell, Rene Yell, Kristin Lonsbury, Jaime Yell, Caitlin Yell and Jessica Yell; one great-grandson, Tyler Yell, and several nieces and nephews, including. Brenda, Debbie, Caroline, Cynthia, David and John Rovito.
He was predeceased by one sister, Anna May Kopf and one brother, Wilbur Yell
Calling hours will take place from 2 to 4 and 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 26 at the Fortune-Keough funeral Home in Saranac Lake. A funeral service will take place at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at the funeral home. Following cremation, burial will be in Brighton Cemetery in the spring.
Friends wishing to remember, Melvin Yell may make memorial contributions to the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad in care of the funeral home.
Melvin Yell, who grew up on the Jones Pond Road and now lives in Saranac Lake, is 83 years of age and remembers working at the Rainbow Sanatorium as a teenager. His job was washing dishes and sometimes milking the cows. He remembers with a smile that he was required to wear a white coat while milking cows in the barn. His grandmother Corrie Yell also worked at the San as cook. She was married at the age of 12 and had 4 or 5 children. Melvin remembers her as a hard working lady.
Melvin remembers being treated by Dr. Emans. When he was about 5 or 6 year old, he burned his hand when a firecracker exploded in it. He was told to soak his hand in kerosene. This took all the sting out of the burn and his hand healed up nicely. Another time Melvin developed pneumonia. They put cow manure on his chest which Melvin says drew the disease right out and he could go right back to school. On another occasion, Melvin cut his finger very badly. This time the treatment was to put pine pitch and tar on it and bandage it up with cheesecloth and shellac. This healed up in one week.
Melvin remembers the Rainbow Sanatorium as “a good place to work. Nobody bothered anybody.”
Source: Interview with Melvin Yell 5/7/02 by Pat and Tom Willis, Brighton History Days.
