Captain Matt C. Mlekush, USN (Ret.), age 83 of Murfreesboro, died May 27, 2015. He was a native of Santa Monica, California and a son of the late Matt and Lila Mlekush. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Ellen Marie Kouma Mlekush; children, Diane Cothern and her husband Douglas of Murfreesboro; Matthew Mlekush and his wife Cindy of Antioch, CA; Denise Shields and her husband Scott of Virginia Beach, VA; Dana Taylor and her husband Jim of Morrisville, NC, and Debra Cooke of Winston-Salem, NC; grandchildren, Jeremy Cothern and his wife Laura, Andrea, and Bethany Cothern; Akasha, Dionna, and Jared Mlekush and Seth and Lauren Shields; a great grandson, Edward Douglas Cothern and a host of loving family and friends. Captain Mlekush was a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, completed post-graduate work at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York and received his master's degree in civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His service included the Vietnam War from 1965-66 and he later retired in 1985 from the United States Navy with the rank of Captain after thirty-five years of service. After retirement, he worked at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the physical plant. Visitation with the family will be Saturday from 4 p.m. until the time of a memorial service with military honors beginning at 5 p.m. at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. An online guestbook is available at www.woodfinchapel.com.