Mel Northway
Somerville Funeral service for Mel Northway, 81, will be Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 11:30 AM at New Canaan Baptist Church with Bro. Robert Cruise officiating and Peck Funeral Home directing. Visitation will be Saturday, November 23, 2024, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at New Canaan Baptist Church. Mr. Northway passed away on Monday, November 11, 2024 at his residence. He was born March 9, 1943, in Minnesota, to Milton Oliver Northway and Doris Lois Green Northway. His family and friends knew him as Mel, Coach Mel, G-Mel, Cinnamel, dad, and mainly Grandpa. Dad, known to many simply as the sweet big guy, grandad, or Coach down here in the South was a beloved staring figure in Minnesota Gophers and Pro European Basketball League lore then as Neenah Joint School District’s Athletic Director and Vice Principal at the High School up North. He was a beacon of strength, kindness, and dedication to both his family and the communities he served at the different stages of his life.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Dad’s early years were marked by his exceptional talent and passion for sports and the outdoors. Coming out of Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis he was a hometown boy, all State or State Champs in nearly everything he played. His time with the Minnesota
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