Relationship 1127: Lee Fishback & Meriel Matthews (Mel) Barnes

Relationship Record 1127

Male/Husband} Fishback, Lee

Family History} Olson

Female/Wife} Barnes, Meriel Matthews (Mel)

Relationship Type} Marriage

Marriage: Date} Exa 21 Aug 1953

Place} , Los Angeles, California

Ended: On Date} Exa 26 Dec 1976
By} Death of husband

Source 1}	867 = Marriage rec
Source 2}	1850=Magazine
Source 3}	1853=Newspaper
Source 4}	1849=S.S. record
Source 5}	1505=Death. record
Source 6}	963 =S.S. record
Source 7}

1st Household No.} None

Photographs} None

Last Updated
by} Karen Hancock

Date Updated} 28 Nov 2015
Date Created} 23 Nov 2015

Notes: Lee Fishback and Meriel M. Barnes (known as Mel) were married 21 Aug 1953 in Los Angeles County, California. Lee and Mel eventually made their home in Kila, Flathead, Montana. They owned a small sled manufacturing and musher supply company. Lee bred and mushed (raced) sled dogs.

In 1963, Lee and Mel 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”. Lee also was Chief Judge at races sanctioned by the International Sled Dog Racing Association. Mel developed an X-backed harness for the racing dogs.

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. He is buried in the Conrad Memorial Cemetery, Kalispell, Flathead, Montana.

Mel continued in the business, and re-married, surname Riley. She died 5 Sep 1996 in Lake County, Montana. Her burial place is unknown.

Children:

Total # of Children} Unknown

Seq. # of Primary}

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