Melvin Harrell Wallace, 67, husband of Sandra "Sandy" Hinson Wallace, died Sunday, July 25, 2010, at Tuomey Regional Medical Center.

Born in Murfreesboro, Tenn., he was a son of the late Paul and Mary Sue Sims Wallace. Wallace was a member of First Baptist Church and the Casey Pitts Sunday School Class. He graduated from Central High School in Murfreesboro and attended Middle Tennessee State University.

Wallace was a professional horse trainer for many years. He moved to Sumter, S.C., as the trainer at Hinson's Walking Horse Stables. He was retired from the City of Sumter. He was a member of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association and the South Carolina Horse Show Association. He was selected Trainer of the Year, Horseman of the Year and elected to the South Carolina Walking Horse Association Hall of Fame. He was a judge for the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ Association and the Mountain Horse Association. Wallace felt his greatest accomplishment was working with juvenile riders and having eight of them attain the state award of Juvenile Rider of the Year. He put on the Sumter County Championships and did announcing in the warm-up area at the South Carolina Championships and the South Carolina Ladies Auxiliary shows. Wallace was also a professional auctioneer.

Surviving are his wife of Sumter; one son, Matthew Scott Wallace and wife, Lisa, of Murfreesboro; one brother, Lynn Wallace of Murfreesboro; one sister, Jane James of Murfreesboro; two grandchildren, Josh and Kaitlyn Wallace; three nieces, Kim Jones and husband, Ransom, and McKenzie Wallace, both of Murfreesboro, and Allison Reaves and husband, Lee, of Alcolu; three nephews, Matthew Wallace, John Jones and wife, Tracy, of Murfreesboro and Chris Rorick of Sumter; numerous great-nieces and great-nephews; his mother-in-law, Mary L. Hinson, and sister-in-law, Lynn H. Mood and husband, Bobby, all of Sumter; and one uncle, Harry Sims of Pulaski, Tenn.

He was predeceased by his parents; a son, Michael Shane Wallace; three aunts, Hazel Turrentine, Nell Robertson and Evelyn Sims; one uncle, Charles Sims; and a sister-in-law, Judith H. Rorick.

Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church Global Mission Fund, 107 E. Liberty St., P.O. Box 867, Sumter, SC 29150 or to the South Carolina Walking Horse Scholarship Fund, c/o Tina Young, 1608 Williamson Road, Florence, SC 29505.