Mel Bockelman

The Richmond News, Jan. 10, 2025

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Melvin Bockelman (retired), 97, of Concordia died Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, at the Kansas City VA Medical Center.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, with Pastors Joel Kurz and Michael Pottschmidt officiating. Burial with military rites will follow at 2 p.m. at St. Peters Cemetery in the Flora community. Visitation will be 10-11 a.m. prior to the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to House of Hope, 301 Broadway St., Lexington, MO 64067. Arrangements are in care of Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home. An online guestbook is available at www.campbell-lewis. com.

Born Dec. 9, 1927, in Great Bend, Kan., he was the son of the late Louis Bockelman and Hulda Uppendahl Bockelman.

At a young age, the Bockelman family moved to a farm near Concordia, where he spent many years of his life.

Mel was a World War II veteran. He served in the liberation of the Philippines, receiving the Philippine Liberation Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal. He also served during the Cold War in the headquarters of the U.S. Nuclear Bomber and Missile Force, the Strategic Air Command, and retired in 1966 from the Air Force.

Mel and Harriet Klingemann met in Omaha, Neb., and married on April 9, 1950. Together, they raised three children in the Lutheran faith while the family was stationed in London, Omaha, Hawaii, California, Colorado Springs and Kansas City. They were married for 66 years until Harriet’s passing in 2016.

Mel was hired by then-Kansas City Police Chief Clarence Kelly to design and install the first computer system for the police department. He received a resolution from Mayor Charles Wheeler and the city council commending him for successfully developing Kansas City’s original police computer system, ALERT.

He served on the FBI’s National Crime Information Center Committee and on the committee for the development of the statewide Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System, also known as MULES. He also installed Lafayette County’s first computer system.

Mel was presented with a letter of commendation by then-FBI Director Clarence Kelly for participating in a study of the effectiveness of FBI computer systems.

Mel was certified by the Missouri Supreme Court as a municipal judge and served on the bench of the Concordia Municipal Court for seven years.

He devoted his time to raising awareness in the citizens of Lafayette County to the horrible consequences of domestic violence. He served on the first board of directors establishing the House of Hope for victims of domestic violence in Lafayette County.

Mel wrote a book about Concordia area veterans who served in World War II and wrote many news accounts about World War II, as well as accounts of Korean War veterans and their combat experiences with America’s enemies. He wrote 500-plus articles for newspapers in Lafayette and its surrounding counties.

He was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Warrensburg and a former member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia. He also was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts, and served on the Concordia Veteran’s Honor Guard.

In addition to his wife Harriet, he was preceded in death by his daughter, Diane; great-granddaughter, Skylar; sisters, Lavonna, Verna and Qunita; and brothers, Lorenz, Markie and Louis.

Survivors include his two sons, Mel Bockelman Jr. (Rebecca) of Overland Park, Kan., and Ron Bockelman (Becky) of Olathe, Kan.; six grandchildren; 11 greatgrandchildren; sister, Naomi Foster of Warsaw; and many nieces and nephews.