By Deborah Larsen
Orville Ray Zellers
Orville Ray Zellers, known by his middle name, Ray, was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 14, 1921, the son of Leslie and Gladys Halleck Zellers. The Zellers family moved to Avon Township when Ray was a teenager and lived on Livernois Road. Ray attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1939.
In September 1942, Ray entered the U.S. Army, one of three Zellers brothers to serve in uniform during World War II. He was assigned to the 185th Infantry Regiment, which was sent to the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Theater and participated in the invasion of the Philippines in early 1945. Ray was released from military service in November 1945.
After the war, Ray married, started a family, and worked in the automobile industry. He retired from Pontiac Motor Division.
Orville Ray Zellers died at age 95 on October 7, 2016.