Gregory J. Melyon

Gregory J. Melyon, 58 of Whiting, passed away Wednesday, October 7, 2020. He is survived by his beloved wife of 29 years, Donna (nee Klapak); loving brother of Dan (Ellen) Melyon and Mark (Gerardette) Melyon; dearest uncle to many nieces and nephews; dear brother-in-law of Paul “Otis” Klapak and Frank (late Janet) Lowry; and his best friend Guinness Melyon.

Private funeral services will be held, there is no visitation. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Baran Funeral Home, 1235-119^th St., Whiting. Expressions of sympathy may be placed on-line at www.baranfh.com.

Greg Melyon was born on March 20, 1962 to Henry and Alice (Simala) Melyon and was a lifelong resident of the Calumet Region. He was a graduate of Bishop Noll Institute, Class of 1980 and was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Whiting. Greg was a 2nd generation firefighter and began his career with the Gary, Indiana Fire Department. He was one of a dozen firefighters in the City chosen to form Squad 2, a flying manpower squad, running to literally hundreds of emergency calls a year. Squad 2 would become one of the busiest heavy rescue squads in the country and its members, some of the most skilled firefighters in the industry. When our country was attacked on September 11, 2001, he responded with a group of fellow firefighters to New York City to support the efforts of the FDNY. Greg came up through the ranks, holding many positions and would retire as Chief of Operations from the City of Gary with 27 years of dedicated service. After retiring from Gary, he became a training instructor at the BP Whiting Refinery, where he continued to share his incredible knowledge of safety and emergency response. Greg was a member of the IAFF Local 359, the 5-11 Club of Chicago, the Fire Buffs of Illinois and was a founding member of the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago. He enjoyed photographing fire apparatus and collecting fire apparatus pictures, memorabilia and die-cast emergency vehicles. Greg was an avid traveler and connoisseur of local cuisine. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Fire Museum of Greater Chicago, 5218 S. Western Ave., Chicago, IL 60609.

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