ROBERT ?ROB? LEO MELTON III, age 55, of Worthington, died Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at his home after a brave battle with cancer. He was born on September 15, 1955, in Grand Haven, MI to parents Robert Jr. and Dolores (VanderSchaaf) Melton. At the age of 6, Rob moved with his parents to Fort Wayne, IN and at the age of 13 moved to Beaver Creek, MN. He graduated from Hills-Beaver Creek High School in 1974. Rob enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1974. After his basic training at Lackland AFB, TX, he served active duty for three years at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and two years at Camp New Amsterdam in the Netherlands. In 1979 he received an honorable discharge. On October 8, 1981, Robert married Connie Boom at the American Reformed Church in Luverne. After their marriage, Rob attended South Dakota State University earning a B.S. degree in Biology in 1986. He then attended Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo and graduated with a M.S. degree in Occupational Therapy in 1994. After completing his schooling the couple made their home in Worthington. Rob worked for Worthington Regional Hospital as a Registered Occupational Therapist for 15 years. His areas of interest included hand therapy, stroke patients and orthopedics, but he enjoyed all aspects of his job, especially interacting with others. Rob also served almost 22 years in the Air National Guard. Twenty years were with the South Dakota Air National Guard (SDANG) in Sioux Falls with the 114th Fighter Wing Unit, known as the ?Fighting Lobos?. He was a Master Sergeant Crew Chief and worked on F-16 fighter jets. While in the military, he served on U.S. and foreign bases. Homeland bases included Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and California. Foreign bases were in Kuwait, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Curaco, Netherlands and two deployments to Iraq. His last deployment in 2009 was to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Illness forced his retirement in December of 2010 after 28 years of serving his country. Rob was very proud to be a veteran and had a special bond with his military comrades. He was a member of the American Reformed Church in Worthington. He enjoyed boating, motorcycling, fishing, hunting and playing cribbage. He was proud of and loved his family. He was never too busy to spend time with his children. He will be greatly missed every day and he will be loved forever. Rob is survived by his wife of 29 years, Connie Melton, Worthington, MN; daughter, Katie Melton, Waterloo, IA; son, Neal Melton, Worthington, MN; mother, Dolores Melton, Holland, MI; and sister, Ranelle Melton, Fort Wayne, IN. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Jr., grandparents, in-laws, Paul and Marian Boom and brother-in-law, Paul Boom Jr.