Donald M. Ely
Age 90, of Lansing, MI, born on May 16, 1926, passed away on May 1, 2017. He was a lifelong Lansing area resident. He was a member of the greatest generation and proudly served his country in WWII.
He worked for REO Motors and was a truck mechanic for several companies. He served as a Boy Scout leader for many years, was a board member for Maple Grove Schools, and a volunteer at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum for 19 years. He had many interests and talents, including gardening, photography, stained glass, lapidary, cooking, genealogy, old cars and trucks, coin and stamp collecting, traveling in his motor home and he was ready to play a card game at any time. He always made time to share his knowledge with adults and children alike. He was known for his sense of humor and was beloved by all who knew him.
His wife of 68 years, Laura A. Ely, predeceased him on December 23, 2016. He is survived by son Wayne (Lavinia) Ely, daughter Evelyn Ely, grandchildren Arlo (Becky) Ely and Ella (Dustin) Reinert, a great-grandson, siblings Ruth Cortright, Bruce Ely, Ann Horstmeyer, Linda Peninger, Paul Ely, and Sue Ely, and numerous nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at the Estes-Leadley Holt/Delhi Chapel. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, May 5, 2017. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to R.E. Olds Transportation Museum.
7 Messages to “Donald M. Ely”
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Beth Hustedde
May 2, 2017 at 9:55 pmDear Precious Ely Family:
My heart goes out to you along with my prayers. Donald Ely has left an amazing legacy of a caring family. As you celebrate his life, I know that you will each be able to provide a special story or moment that depicts his sense of humor and caring nature.
Blessings always
Dick Trierweiler
May 3, 2017 at 12:01 pmSorry for the loss. He was a great guy.
Beverly Archer
May 3, 2017 at 7:12 pmDear Family,
I talked to Don a few months ago because I am doing my Mother , Vesta Ely’s genealogy book. He and I had the same great great grandfather, Wells Smith. I always enjoyed talking to him about our family. He also put me in touch with another cousin. I’ m so sad and will miss our cousin conversations. My thoughts and prayers for your family with the loss of both of your parents in such a short time. Blessings.
Jerry Garfield
May 3, 2017 at 9:15 pmOne of the best. So sorry for your loss.
Jolene White
May 3, 2017 at 9:32 pmMy sincere condolences to Wayne, Evelyn and the entire Ely family. Cousin Don was very special to me and will always have a place in my heart. We had good times in our genealogical travels and conversations, and I enjoyed the time spent together. He was so knowledgeable and I learned a great deal from him. Don was such a sweet man and will be sorely missed by me and by all who knew him. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at this difficult time.
Judy Gorham
May 7, 2017 at 9:23 amMy heartfelt condolences to evelyn and Wayne for the loss of their dad. I was privileged to know Don for 42 years and have many happy memories of spending time with he and Laura when they would travel to Arizona to spend several weeks with their daughter evelyn who is my best friend of 42 years. One of my earliest memories is of Don packing up 2 apartments full of stuff to move evelyn and I to Phoenix, he drove the Uhaul truck with one of our cars in tow in the winter of 1977 to ensure that we arrived safely. He was always so generous with his time, had a wonderful demeanor and was such a joy to know, he will truly be missed.
Judy Pfaff
May 9, 2017 at 10:31 amDon was a very special genealogy friend. He was dedicated to his family history. He spent many days reading and photographing gravestones in Ingham County cemeteries. Then, he would go home and enter the data for others to use. I always loved talking to Don about genealogy. He and his wife did a family cookbook with old family recipes. He game me a copy which I will always cherish. Goodbye my dear friend. I will always remember your bright smiles.