Melvin Louis Bankester, 75, of Pensacola, FL passed away Wednesday, December 6, 2017.

Melvin was born on April 22, 1942 in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. He graduated from Fairhope High School in 1960 and from the University of Alabama in 1964. He worked for the Internal Revenue Service for twenty years and was the Auditing Officer to the Comptroller at NAS before retiring from civil service in 1995. Since retirement he worked in the private sector preparing personal income taxes until 2016. He was Chairman of March of Dimes, and on the Speech and Hearing Board, and was an active member of the Mystic Striper Society in Mobile for almost fifty years and was king in 2004.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Annie (Crawford) and Harlan Chester Bankester; his brother, Harlan Lee Bankester, and sister, Mary E. Bankester.

He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jean (Philpott); a son, Harlan Louis Bankester; daughter, Breck Smith (Jay); granddaughters, Shea Smith and Karsen Smith; and his sister, Elizabeth Dixon.

Memorial Visitation will be held 12:30pm – 1:30pm Saturday, December 9, 2017 at Harper-Morris Memorial Chapel.