Individual Record 3085

Name}   Barnes, Meriel Matthews (Mel)		Family History} Olson
Title}	Race} White	Sex} Female
Birth:   Date} Fam 20 Aug 1932	Place} Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts
Marr.1: Date} Exa  21 Aug 1976	Place}         , Los Angeles, California     (Link)
Death:  Date} Exa  5 Sep 1996	Place} Polson, Lake, Montana
Burial:  Date} Aft  5 Sep 1996	Place}
	Grave Marker}	Source 1} 1851=Birth record Source 2} 994 = Passenger ls Source 3} 1852=1940 USA cen Source 4} 1390=Yearbook Source 5} 867 = Marriage rec Source 6} 1850=Magazine Source 7} 1853=Newspaper Source 8} 1849=S.S. record Source 9} 1505=Death record Source 10} 717 = S.S. record
Parents: } Edward S. Barnes & Dorothy A. Matthews      Household No.} 758
1st Household No.} 758 = Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California
Occupation 1} Housewife        Occupation 2} Dog-sled innovator
Religion/Church}
Spouses:   Prime} Fishback, Lee  Total Number of} 2
Notes:  Meriel Matthews Barnes was born 20 Aug 1932 in Gloucester, Essex, Massachusetts.  Her parents were Edward S. Barnes and Dorothy A. Matthews.  She was the youngest of four children.  In 1936, she traveled to Bermuda with her parents, brother John and their maid, Agnela Zarfl.  They returned to New York from Hamilton, Bermuda on 8 Sep 1936 aboard the S.S. Queen of Bermuda.  At that time the family residence was at 7 Bryn Mawr Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery, Pennsylvania. In the 1940 U.S. census, Meriel, 7, was living with her parents and brother John at 2116 La Mesa Drive, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California.  Their home was located near the Riveria County Club and Golf Course.  Her father Edward was the musical director for a church.  Meriel had completed 1st grade.  Also in the household was their housekeeper Angela Zarfl. Meriel attended Stanford University, Palo Alto, California.  In 1952 her photograph appears in the Quad yearbook with the Durand House on Women's Row, and she was a member of Gamma Theta Upsilon. Meriel married Lee Fishback on 21 Aug 1953 in Los Angeles County, California.  In the later years, Meriel was known as Mel and their home was in Kila, Flathead, Montana.  They owned a small sled manufacturing and musher supply company and Lee ran and raced sled dogs.  In 1963, Mel and Lee began Team & Trail, a monthly newsletter about sled dog racing.  They published a booklet "Training Lead Dogs My Way in 1974.  Later versions published throughout the 70’s and 80’s had the title “Training Lead Dogs or How to turn ordinary dogs into Lead Dogs thru positive training”. Mel's husband Lee died of a heart attack on 26 Dec 1976 while out running his dogs.  A search and rescue team found him near his pickup truck when he did not return from a run.  Mel continued with the business and designed and made an X-back harness for sledding dogs.  She continued making the Zima brand of harnesses until 1983. Mel married a man with the surname Riley.  Under the name Mel Fishback Riley she published a booklet "Your Dog in Harness".  Mel died 5 Sep 1996 in Lake County, Montana.  Her last residence was in Polson, Lake, Montana.  Her burial place is unknown.
Time of Birth}	Time of Death}	Fraternal/Social} Gamma Theta Upsilon
Baptism Date}	Place}
Confirm. Date}	Photos} Meriel Barnes
Vacation Date} Exa  8 Sep 1936	Port} New York, New York
Education: Grade} College                 or Top 2 Degrees}
Military: Service}                                    for the State of}
Health Condition}     Cause of Death}	Last Updated by} Karen Hancock Date Updated} 28 Nov 2015 Date Created}  23 Nov 2010
Copyright © 2015 by Karen L. Hancock.  All Rights Reserved.

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