SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - Norton Melaver, 84, of Savannah, Georgia, husband of Betty Stein Melaver, died Thursday evening, January 27, 2011, at his home.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1926 and moved with his family to Savannah in 1940. After attending Savannah High School, he attended Armstrong State College for two years before matriculating at the University of Georgia, majoring in chemistry. Following a stint in the United States Navy in the medical corps, he returned to Savannah, where he joined his mother Annie Melaver in a local grocery store business called M & M Food Store. Over the ensuing 4 decades, he grew the business into M & M Supermarkets, a regional chain of 14 grocery stores employing over 750 people. He sold the business to Kroger in 1985 and oversaw the creation of a sustainable real-estate company, Melaver, Inc., still owned and managed by family members.

Beyond being an accomplished businessman, he was deeply involved in community affairs and served as president of the Jewish Educational Alliance, president of the Savannah Jewish Federation, Chairman of the United Way, Chairman of the Savannah Port Authority (predecessor to SEDA), and the Chairman of the Savannah/Hilton Head Airport Commission. He assisted in founding numerous visionary programs and foundations, including the first joint high school/business partnership program, founding the Armstrong Foundation, and Melaver Foundation. He was active on local boards such as Memorial Medical Center, First Union Bank, Carson Products, the Chatham-Effingham Regional Library, and Second Harvest Food Bank, as well as national boards such as CLAL, Florence Heller, and Council of Jewish Federations. Among his many accomplishments, he was most proud of being in the forefront of hiring African-Americans for managerial positions at M & M Supermarkets as well as being the catalyst for significant governance reform at Memorial Medical Center.

Surviving are his wife, Betty Stein Melaver; one son, Martin Melaver and his wife, Nirit; two daughters, Tovah Melaver and Ellen Melaver; one sister, Millicent Melaver, and four grandchildren, Dana Melaver, Alon Melaver, Ian Krupp and Aliyah Melaver.

The funeral service will be held at 12 noon Sunday at the graveside, Bonaventure Cemetery.

The family will sit Shiva at the home – Five Sweet Bay Lane, Savannah.

Remembrances:  Second Harvest Food Bank – 2501 East Presidents Street, Savannah, Georgia 31404 or the Live Oak Public Libraries Foundation – 2002 Bull Street, Savannah, Georgia 31401.