The Walworthians: Hounslea

The Walworthians: Hounslea

A collection of telephone interviews published in the Wayne County STAR Newspaper and Wayne County MAIL Newspaper, 1994-209

by Kate Chamberlin

Melinda Hounslea

September 07, 1995

Melinda Hounslea is one of the people in our neighborhood. Although she’d been born in Binghamton, her family lived on a sheep farm in Pennsylvania during her grade school years. Her family moved to West Walworth in 1960. Melinda spent Grades 7 through 12 at Wayne Central. The older part of the current high school housed 7-12 at that time.

“The school district has really grown since I went there,” she said. “Now there are so many buildings on several campuses.”

I asked her if there was a small bar on Main Street in West Walworth when she first moved in.

“I don’t recall a bar,” she thought. “But I do remember there was a small grocery store.”

After graduation, Melinda worked at A. D. Data for a year before she landed a job with Bausch and Lomb. She is still with them as the Cashier for the Contact Lens Division.

Her hobby is collecting postcards. She and her father, Gordon, travel all over to shows and fairs. Her oldest postcard is a 1908 scene from West Walworth. She is always on the look-out for unique and/or old cards and duplicates for her collection.

She once told me to look for a little tiny symbol in the corner of the picture to know if it was really valuable. I’ll try to remember that if I’m ever on Jeopardy!

Traveling is another of her hobbies. She can combine doing shows with traveling! Her favorite spot to vacation in is Atlanta, Georgia.

“My brother, Stephen, is there,” she explained.

Family is very important to Melinda. She lives with her father since her mother, Patricia, passed away several years ago. They live in the home on Penfield Road where Stephen, John, Melissa and Andrew all lived when they were younger.

“I still feel the loss of Andrew, too,” she said. “I think that is why family is so important to me.”

Perhaps this is why she is so dedicated to the Neighbor Night Program at her Church in Palmyra. Every Thursday evening from 5:30 until 7:00 P.M. during the school year, she plays board games, cards, ping-pong and referees other games with the children who attend.

Melinda often helps to cook a nutritional dinner for them and, in general, provide a terrific role model.

“I’d love to see more of the neighborhood children come to our program,” she said with enthusiasm. “We really have a good time. If any of the adults want to volunteer their time, we’d love to have them, too.”

Thank you, Melinda. You are a Walworthian at heart with the accent on worth.

(The Palmyra Neighbor Night is held in the Zion Episcopal Church, 120 E. Main Street, Palmyra, 597-9236.

Mr. Ron Stein is Chairman of the Neighbor Night Steering Committee if you’d like to volunteer your time. Children aged 7 through 12 are invited to share the activities, dinner, and a good time each Thursday from 5:30 to 7:00 P.M. Their new year will begin on Thursday, September 7th.)

September 07, 2017 Up-Date:

Melinda succumbed to breast cancer a few years after this article was published.

Realizing the importance of family, she was very dedicated to the Neighbor Night Program in the Zion Episcopal Church where she was a communicant, served on the Altar Guild and in St. Margaret’s Guild.  Melinda also spent many hours helping out in            a Soup Kitchen for homeless men in Rochester.

Melinda’s parents, Gordon and Patricia, and her brothers, Andrew and Steven, predeceased her. She is survived by her siblings, John and  Melissa with   her brother-in-law, nieces and nephews, who  were all very special people in Melinda’s life.

Mingled with our tears of sadness at her death, we have tears of joy that she was our friend.