Van Zandt County Commissioner Virgil Melton Jr., a former Dallas County criminal district courts manager, was killed Monday night after a tree fell on his truck during a severe storm.
Melton’s wife, Janice, was also critically injured and is in a hospital ICU.
During the Commissioners Court meeting Wednesday night, Van Zandt County Judge Andy Reese read a statement in which he called Melton, 76, a “true icon of the community.” Reese said Melton was involved in many organizations in Van Zandt County, which is about 70 miles east of Dallas.
“He inspired many in the county and has been a mentor and a role model to many who have served with him,” Reese said. “His legacy will live on with the people he has served throughout his years in Van Zandt County.”
Reese said Melton was driving home from his grandson’s baseball game on Farm-to-Market Road 279 in Edom when the tree fell on his pickup. Reese said Janice Melton suffered a broken collarbone and brain bleeding as a result of the accident, but as of Wednesday evening she was conscious and recovering in the hospital.
Melton had been the Precinct 2 commissioner since 2007, and was also the director of the Van Zandt County Veterans Memorial organization, which he founded in 2005. A Marine Corps veteran, Melton served in the Vietnam War as a tank commander and was awarded a Purple Heart and a Navy Commendation Medal for Valor, Reese said.
According to Melton’s LinkedIn page, he was the Criminal District Courts manager in Dallas County for 29 years, overseeing 17 criminal district courts.
Dan Maucieri, treasurer for the Veterans Memorial organization, said Melton and his family were heavily involved in the community, and said Melton would often take over the Commissioners Court when the county judge was absent. He also said Melton was a dedicated family man.
“Virgil was so dedicated to his grandkids,” Maucieri said. “They would go to every baseball game.”
Maucieri said many of the severe thunderstorms that hit Dallas throughout the last week ended up rolling through Van Zandt County, uprooting trees and damaging houses. Maucieri said Monday night’s storm brought strong winds and hail.
Reese said during the meeting that he will appoint Melton’s replacement in the next few weeks.