"Melvie" was the second of 3 children born to Ernest T. and Ocea Ola
     (Lawry) Lonker. His older brother, Ralph W. (Pat) was born in 1901,
     Melvah in 1903, and sister, Audrice M. was born in 1905. Ernest was a
     rancher with his father, William M. and brother George S. on property
     they owned in the Gyp Hills Southwest of Medicine Lodge. Ernest later
     bought part of what is now the Magnison Ranch, which he sold about the 
     time he bought the O.Z. Parker Ranch which was somewhat closer to Medicine
     Lodge. Melvah and Pat began their cattle business on the ranch their father
     owned. They had many interesting experiences, one of which involved a nearly
     new Ford pick-up which was one of the latest "modern conveniences" to aid
     their work. When checking cows one day, they found one cow which had hidden
     in a deep cedar draw to have her calf. They proceeded down into the draw
     a-foot in order to better see whether the cow was OK, only to hear a noise -
     their vehicle had not stood "ground-tied" like their horses were trained
     to do, and was bent on self-destruction at the bottom of the canyon. Horses
     were mostly used from then on when checking cattle.
        Melvah married  Mildred C. Nelson, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth
     (Patton) Nelson who lived west of Medicine Lodge on the Bauman place, now
     owned by Hugh Wheelock. The Nelson family had moved from a farm 4 miles
     north of Capron, Oklahoma, to Kiowa, then to Medicine Lodge. Mildred was a
     school teacher in Medicine Lodge, and Hutchinson, Kansas prior to her 
     marriage.
        Melvah and MIldred lived on the Parker Ranch which Ernest had purchased
     and tried to improve and build on the Hereford cow herd which was bought
     by William M. Longcor from Oklahoma. Among these cows were two "yellow"
     cows of extreme light color. Melvah kept heifer calves from  these cows
     descendants, and they seemed to be among the biggest and best in the herd.
     The extreme yellow or "Buckskin" calves were an obviously different color
     even though they were pure Hereford and are still very evident in the cow
     herd presently owned by Jim Lonker.
        Melvah and Mildred had two sons. Donald W. and James M. Both boys
     graduated from Medicine Lodge High School and Kansas State University; Don
     in veterinary Medicine and Jim in Animal Husbandry. Both currently reside
     in or near Medicine Lodge.
        The untimely death of Melvah in the spring of 1959 was a shock to the
     many friends and to the family. He was 56 years old. The family had lived
     in Medicine Lodge at 211 East Lincoln, but Mildred was no longer comfortable
     there, and in 1961 moved to 815 North Walnut where she enjoyed life and her
     family until her death in 1977.
                
     Source:Chosen Land - Barber County, Kansas,  pg. 281 
     Submitted by: Bobbie and Jim Lonker