He was in General Practice in Martin, Tennessee between 1963- 1967 where he served as President of the Weakley County Medical Society, before moving to Memphis to specialize in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In 1970 the Bottorff's moved to Beaumont, Texas where he founded The Women's Clinic and Associates with Dr. George Bosch and the late Dr. Jeff Hanna. In 1971 he was elected a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He served as Chief of OB/GYN and Chief of Staff at both St. Elizabeth and Baptist Hospitals in Beaumont, and as President of the Jefferson County Medical Society in 1990.

Between 1993 and 2000 he was Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Jasper Memorial Hospital in Jasper, Texas; and was Director of the Jasper - Newton County Public Health District from 1993 until his retirement in 2001. He helped with the building of the Rayburn Clinic at Sam Rayburn Lake and served on its' Board, served as Director and Vice President of Rayburn Country Association, and was a member at Lake Rayburn United Methodist Church where he founded the Methodist Men's Helping Hands Group.

Mel was an expert on the civil war history and genealogy. Throughout his life he was a true naturalist with great passion for the outdoors. He loved diving, wildlife, forestry, photography, and the areas waterways. He canoed Village Creek from end to end, sailed in numerous races throughout the Americas with the "Bar Nuthin" crew and on the Tall Ship Elissa; taught boating education courses and was a past Commander of the Beaumont Power Squadron.

The Bottorff family would like to express their appreciation and gratitude to the physicians, nurses, and staff of Texas Oncology in Beaumont; Sarah Canon Cancer Center and Hope Lodge in Nashville; Christus Jasper, The Lakes Area Hospice, and Dr.'s Ed Collins, Carey Jordan, Mark Larson, and Bud Gilliland. Your amazing support, dedication to patient care, and compassion is greatly appreciated.

A Celebration of Life and Memorial service was held November 6 at Lake Rayburn United Methodist Church. Internment will be held today, Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at Lake Village Arkansas City Cemetery, McMurray Family Section.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lakes Area Hospice, PO Box 2086, Jasper, TX 75951; Lake Rayburn UMC, PO Box 5014, Sam Rayburn, TX 75951- 7700; or the Dr. Melvin Kincheloe Bottorff Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at Hendrix College. Established in 2006 by Brian Bottorff and Beth Walker to honor the life and career of their father, the annual endowed Scholarship recognizes an outstanding student entering Hendrix College each year expressing interest in careers in health care. Minority applicants and/or those with financial needs are encouraged to apply. [Melvin K. Bottorff Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Hendrix College, Office of Advancement, 1600 Washington, Conway, AR 72032-3080]