After 82 years of varied and vibrant life, Mel Danker passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, November 29, 2012, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Born in the Bronx on May 9, 1930 to Ethel and George Danker, Mel was forever a displaced New Yorker. Although he referred to himself as "one of the original dead-end kids," his successful entrepreneurial career contradicted this self-assessment. He served proudly in the US Navy during the Korean War, was a New York State Trooper, and a police officer in Washington, D. C. He came from a long line of restaurant families beginning with Danker's Restaurant in D.C. Later he became one of the original investors in Outback Steakhouse and helped spread the concept to several other states. He was also an investor with the restaurant chain, Glory Days. His successful career in insurance sales and management brought him and his family to Fayetteville in 1971, where he served as regional manager of United Health Insurance Company until his retirement in 1992. Always open to new business ventures, he started building houses out at Woodlake and investing in real estate. His boyhood dream was to be an owner of a major league baseball team, and he accomplished that by becoming one of the owners of the Tampa Bay Rays. An avid sportsman, he played racquetball for many years and made several good friends that way. He also took up deep sea fishing, much to the chagrin of his wife, as he insisted on covering the walls of the den with his trophy Marlins. However, he maintained that his greatest sports achievement was that he used to drive stock cars! Preceded in death by two brothers, Billy Danker and George Danker, Mel is survived by his wife, Jackie, and daughters Cynthia Danker and Susan Danker and her husband Jim Ellis, siblings Gloria Grodin, Doris Basham, Mona Marra, Bob Basham, Richard Danker and Doug Danker, grandson Mason Danker, and numerous nieces and nephews. Mel had many health problems in the past few years but being the man that he was, he fought hard to the end. The family wants to thank all the good friends, caregivers, and medical personnel that have been such a great help in these last few months, especially Jens Merritt. Visitation will be held at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey Street from 1-2:00pm on Monday, December 3rd, with a service to follow at 2:00pm. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the following charities: The Boys and Girls Club, 3475 Cumberland Road, Fayetteville, NC 28306. Fayetteville Animal Protection Society, P O Box 58195, Fayetteville, NC 28305. Visitation: Monday December 3, 2012 from 1pm to 2pm at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, followed by a funeral service at 2pm in the funeral home chapel with Navy Honors following