Melba Rae

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Melba Rae (born October 7, 1922 in Willard, Utah; died December 30, 1971 in New York City) was an American soap opera actress.

She was a key figure in early daytime television, playing the wife of the couple next door on Search for Tomorrow for 20 years — from its inception in 1951 until her untimely death of a cerebral hemorrhage. Her character, Marge Bergman, was best friends with the main character of the series, Joanne (played by Mary Stuart).

Rae, a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [1] was married to Gilbert Shawn (1921 — 2005) from September 2, 1955 until her death. The couple had one son, Eric Shawn, who became a reporter for Fox News Channel. Gilbert Shawn moved to the Orlando, Florida area later in life, where the widower died at the age of 84. [2]