Melville Moon III, 79, of Atlantic Highlands, left this world March 31, 2026, holding the hands of his loved ones.
Born Jan. 15, 1947, in Beaumont, Texas, he was raised in the home his grandfather built in 1905, just a few years after the Lucas gusher at Spindletop Hill set off the Texas oil boom, transforming the East Texas town into a petrochemical mecca.
Like the father and grandfather with whom he shared a name, Mel would grow up to be a technically gifted, meticulous craftsman who loved the work of making things work.
Along with his sisters, Theda and Arlene, Mel enjoyed a free-range, 1950s childhood under the gentle guidance of his namesake dad and his beloved mother, Athalee.
As a child, he studied piano, learned the Bible, skimmed stones and shot bottles out at his grandparents’ property at the edge of town. He also got to be in the audience for local celebrity Cowboy John’s children’s television show, his first experience with the inner workings of media production.
In his early teens, he was a member of the Jefferson County, Texas, Junior Deputy Sheriffs, where he was honored as Outstanding Junior Deputy for excellence in the performance of his duties.
Still in his teens, he was employed as a night shift disc jockey for a local radio station, expanding his musical education in the record stacks as the night wore on. He later worked the sound board for KBMT television, broadcasting news and entertainment live across East Texas.
After attending Pepperdine College (now University) in Los Angeles at the height of the Flower Power movement, Mel was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1967, serving stateside on Fort Monmouth and Fort Polk, Louisiana, before his deployment to South Vietnam.
In Vietnam, he was assigned to the 1st Air Cavalry Division, serving northwest of Saigon and across the Cambodian border in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. His military commendations include a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and the U.S. Army Air Medal in recognition of his completing more than 25 aerial missions over hostile territory.
Following his discharge, he continued his education at Lamar College of Engineering (now Lamar University) in Beaumont, Texas.
Relocating to New Jersey in 1974, Mel pursued a technical career at the former AutoDynamics in Neptune, a maker of petroleum process simulators, making several lifelong friends during his many years with the company. He later worked for Burlington Industries in Hazlet and its affiliate, Command Management in Highlands, which was later sold to Resa Power Industries in Shelton, Connecticut. He retired from Resa in 2018.
After 9/11, he worked in lower Manhattan helping to restore the power grids of corporate clients whose infrastructure had been impacted by the attacks.
An accomplished singer and guitarist who saved up as a teenager to buy his beloved Gibson Hummingbird on layaway, Mel’s multitude of interests included stamp collecting, HO trains, making art, traveling, beachcombing, astronomy and “fixing stuff.” He was an avid reader and admirer of Nikola Tesla, Richard Feynman, Umberto Eco and Carl Sagan.
He was also a fan of Monty Python, “Forbidden Planet,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
He was a member of the 1st Air Cavalry Association, the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Before his illness, Mel volunteered for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation and the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council. He was also a member of the board of the Belvoir Condominium Association.
Above all, Mel was a husband, father and friend whose love and support enriched the lives of his wife, Eileen, and his children and children-in-law, Michelle Moon and Steve Johnson of Port Monmouth and Gwendolyn Moon and Leah Graifer Moon of Los Angeles, California.
He is also survived by his cats, Finnegan and Lucy, the last in a long line of furry creatures and wild things he petted, fed, chatted with and photographed, including Squiggy the half-tailed squirrel, Flip-Flop the rabbit, Jo-Jo the monkey (Vietnam) and an unnamed but admired furry spider who lived on the back porch one summer.
A memorial service for family and friends and a celebration of Mel’s life will take place April 26 at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center. Flowers are not necessary. Donations in his memory are most welcome and may be made to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation or to a charity of your choice.
The article originally appeared in the April 23 – 29, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
