Melda Whitaker Sears, 92 years of age, of Somerset, Kentucky, departed from this life on Monday, September 5th, 2011 at the Somerset Nursing & Rehab Center.

She was born on October 26th, 1918 in Acorn, Kentucky, daughter of the late Pryor Whitaker and Maggie Boyd Whitaker. She was a member of Denham Street Baptist Church, a nurse aide at the old Somerset Hospital, and loved reading the Bible. She loved her Lord. Melda always had beautiful flowers and loved working in them. She loved cooking for her family, and being with her grandchildren.

She was survived by two sons, David (and Cheryl L.) Sears and Gary (and Cheryl E.) Sears, both of Somerset, Kentucky; seven daughters, Joann (and Harold) Colyer of Somerset, Kentucky, Sylvia (and Darwin) Whitaker of Greenwood, Indiana, Barbara (and Rick) Mullins of Somerset, Kentucky, Connie (and Edgar) Eversole of Annville, Kentucky, Linda (and Edwin) Price of Somerset, Kentucky, Kay Neumeyer of Somerset, Kentucky, and Lucille Goodin of Somerset, Kentucky; fourteen grandchildren, Karen Poynter, Carroll Colyer, Douglas Colyer, Genevieve Turner, Sylvia Roberts, Rhonda Puckett, Greg Whitaker, Kim Sears, Lynn Up Church, Lisa Watson, Deanna Crombie, Naomi Eversole, Bryan Sears, and Nathan Price; twenty-one great grandchildren; and eleven great-great grandchildren; and one sister, Vella M. Cubel.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Pryor and Maggie Whitaker; her husband, Leonard O. Sears, who preceded her in death on March 24th, 1975; three great grandchildren; five brothers, a twin brother, Melvin Whitaker, Gertie, Vert, Claude and Earl Whitaker; two half-brothers, Bill Whitaker and Logan Whitaker; two sisters, Martha Harris and Jewell Whitaker; and a half-sister, Lottie Mae Whitaker.

Visitations were held on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 after 11:00 a.m. at the Lake Cumberland Funeral Home in Somerset, Kentucky.

Funeral services were held at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 in the Chapel of the Lake Cumberland Funeral Home with Brother J.S. New officiating.

Burial followed in the Acorn Cemetery in Pulaski County, Kentucky.

THIS IS A TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF MELDA,

I'd like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I'd like to leave an after glow
of smiles when life is done.
I'd like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
Of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I'd like the tears of those who grieve,
to dry before the sun
of happy memories
that I leave when my life is done.