Dorothy E. Lumley Melrose was born on August 26, 1900 in Chicago, Illinois to parents Clinton S. and Nellie. M.
She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Illinois in 1921, majoring in chemistry. In 1924, Lumley married Henry Bascom Melrose and they had 2 children, Robert L. and Kendrick B. In 1934, the Melrose family moved to Orlando from Jacksonville.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Mrs. Melrose taught mathematics, English, and public speaking at Memorial Junior High School.
Mrs. Melrose was a magazine writer, with stories published in Reader's Digest, Woman's Day, McCalls and Parents magazines.
Mrs. Melrose was active in the stock market and formed a stock market investment club. She also has written articles for Barrons, a national business weekly. She was active for 50 years with Orlando's Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.
Mrs. Melrose was a charter member of the Citrus Club and Orlando Country Club, a member of the Orlando Public Library Board, and was instrumental in helping to raise money for rebuilding the present Orlando Public Library.
She was a co-founder of the Orlando Scholarship Foundation, a member of Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, and was active in St. Mary's Church Guild, a woman's auxiliary group of St. Luke's.

Dorothy E. Lumley Melrose is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington VA, where her husband, Henry, is buried.
Mrs. Melrose is survived by her son, Kendrick B., and three grandchildren.

Through a generous gift from the Kendrick B. Melrose Foundation, the Orange County Library System opened in February 2014 the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation and Creativity. The 26,000 sq. ft. of space at the Orlando Public Library's second floor, was named for Mrs. Melrose who had a strong interest in emerging technologies.