Roll of Honor
Thomas J. Mellon
Incident
Conservation Officer Thomas Mellon drowned after his boat capsized on the Manistique River while he was en route to the scene of a forest fire. Conservation Officer Mellon and five others headed out to fight a fire raging along the Manistique River in Schoolcraft County when the boat hit a submerged deadhead as they crossed the river approximately one mile north of Lake Superior. As the boat struck the obstacle, it ripped open the bottom, stopping it immediately. The boat then started taking on water and began to sink, causing everyone to abandon the boat. Officer Mellon and Conrad Oberg, an impressed firefighter, who were unable to swim began struggling in the river's strong current. Mr. Conrad and Officer Mellon disappeared under the water. Their bodies were recovered later that night.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MI-D326FB83- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Conservation Officer Mellon served with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Thank you for your service to the Lansing community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Conservation Officer Mellon.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Conservation Officer Thomas J. Mellon is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MI, 229 of 718 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 0.9 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 10 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas J. Mellon's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas J. Mellon Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas J. Mellon is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Michigan Department of Natural Resources are honored on badge.nw.
