Melvin Rodney Dunn

Melvin Rodney Dunn, age 74, of Munising died at his home under hospice on Sunday morning, November 1, 2026. Mel was born on December 4, 1951 in Phoenix, Arizona to Melvin Lyle and Piercie Ann (Smith) Dunn. His family moved to Vancouver, Washington when he was young. Mel ran track and played baseball during high school. He graduated from Hudson Bay High School in 1970. Mel joined the U.S. Navy on December 30, 1971. He served on the USS Gilmore and USS Truckee during the Vietnam era. He was discharged on April 5, 1976. Mel and family moved to the Upper Peninsula where he worked at Timber Products before going to work at Kimberly Clark. He worked in the machine room and retired in 2006.

Mel was proud of his Native American heritage. He was a pipe maker and quarried his own pipestone in Minnesota. Mel was a Native American fire keeper and made jewelry out of the stone. He was an avid reader and knowledgeable in many subjects. Mel loved to garden, hunt, fish, trap, and cook maple syrup. He was a true man of the land. Mel was also fearless, a bit stubborn, and a little opinionated. Mel will be missed by those who loved him.

He is survived by his partner of twenty-nine years – Krissy LeVeque; three daughters – Annie, Lindsay, and Tyler; and siblings – Patricia Ann Dunn and James R. Dunn. Mel was preceded in death by his parents Melvin Lyle and Piercie Ann Dunn.

Military honors will be rendered at the Veteran’s section of Maple Grove Cemetery in Munising on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.