Melvin McCarley

Reverend Melvin McCarley, 96, of Danbury, died peacefully on March 8, 2026. He was the loving husband of Juanita (Johnson) McCarley for 68 years.

Born on January 6, 1930, in Camden, South Carolina, Melvin was the son of the late Blake and Mamie (Thompson) McCarley. A resident of Danbury since 1951, he worked for many years as a shipping and receiving clerk at Graphic Sciences (later Burroughs), Exxon, and Ethan Allen, from which he retired in 1985. In subsequent years he drove for Almost Home adult daycare, delivered flowers for Don’s Flowers, and worked as an associate at Marshalls and Caldor. Earlier in life he had been a Fuller Brush salesman and a dishwasher at the White Turkey Inn.

Melvin served faithfully in ministry as an associate pastor of Mount Pleasant AME Zion Church in Danbury at the time of his retirement from the clergy. He previously served as associate pastor at Mt. Olive AME Zion Church in Waterbury and Walters Memorial in Bridgeport, and held pastoral appointments at Walls Memorial in Norwalk, Shaw Temple in New Haven, and Evers Memorial in New Haven. In his free time he enjoyed playing the keyboard, baking—especially his widely requested carrot cake, pineapple coconut cake, and fruitcake—and many years of camping with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Juanita; daughters Kristie Velez and her husband Bruno Silva, and Angela Richeme and her husband Matthew Dodd; grandchildren Daniel Richeme, Darion Richeme and his wife Holly Bly, Mickey Richeme and his wife Caitlin Bouaravong, Jerel Velez, Devon Richeme, and Terence Velez; great-grandchild Myles Richeme; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members. He was predeceased by his brothers Blake, Belton, John, and Claude and his sisters Magdalene and Mamie.