Ellery Olds

With a life that spanned times of great change in the world around him, Ellery Olds held such a special place in the heart of many. He was a hardworking and dedicated man who wholeheartedly applied himself to whatever lay before him while focusing on how he could use his time and talents to help others. A more devoted family man would be hard to find as it was clear to see that Ellerys family tree that blossomed to include numerous branches was his greatest source of pride and joy. Although he traveled extensively, what made these adventures truly extraordinary was sharing them with his friends and loved ones. Ellery will be deeply missed, but his timeless legacy will be proudly carried on by those who follow in his footsteps. The 1920s were an exciting time to be an American as the days were covered in great prosperity, but with the crash of the stock market in October of 1929, prosperity gave way to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Jobs became difficult to come by, which sent the unemployment rate soaring to over 25 percent leaving cities, communities, and families to come together to do whatever they could to weather the storm. It was just as this trying decade was dawning that Ellery Seth and Gladys (Clark) Olds were eagerly anticipating the birth of their new baby as the heat of the summer held the city of Muskegon, Michigan, firmly in its grip in 1930. The big day finally arrived when the baby boy they named Ellery Junior drew his first breath on August 15th. He was the older of two children in his family and was raised in the family home on Apple Avenue near Angel School in downtown Muskegon alongside his sister, Jeanine. Later on, the Olds family moved to Western Avenue where they moved into a building that housed his fathers trucking company. In many ways, Ellery was a young boy of his generation. His father owned his own trucking company while his mother was a busy homemaker. Ellery loved having fun with friends as well as playing sports with his neighborhood buddies. His father taught him to hunt and fish. Ellery was driving by the time he was 12, and before he even had his license he was already driving the mail truck on routes on occasion. As a teenager he once dove off the Float Bridge that crossed Mona Lake, and although he injured his neck, he just dealt with it and rode his bicycle home. Later that week he discovered he actually had broken a bone in his neck! Summers often found the Olds family at their family cottage on Pickerel Lake in Newaygo. Ellery became an amazing water skier who could do jumps and do some trick skiing as well. It was while at the cottage that Ellery met the woman of his dreams. Her name was Marlyn Linkfield, and her family had a cottage across the lake. Ellery and Marlyn began dating, and they kept their romance alive even though she lived in Grand Rapids. In fact, Marlyn helped Ellery write some of his papers in high school, and for the rest of their married life she always claimed that she helped him graduate from Muskegon High School in 1949. He was also on the football team while in high school. After graduating, Ellery continued working at his fathers trucking company, but in 1950 he joined the United States Navy during the days of the Korean Conflict. He was stationed out of San Diego, but he also served in Japan. While serving, Ellerys love with Marlyn only deepened, and with a desire to establish a life together they were married on April 10, 1953, while he was home on leave. Marlyn eventually joined him in San Diego until his service was completed. At that time, the couple returned to Muskegon and soon bought a house on Center Street on the East side of Muskegon. This was the place they called home for the next 52 years. This was also where they raised their four children including twin daughters, Debra and Sandra born in 1955, daughter Kerry born in 1957, and their son Dan born in 1961. To support his family, Ellery found work driving truck for Viking Foods. He remained there for nearly 35 years until retiring at the age of 65. There was nothing that was more near and dear to the heart of Ellery than spending time with his family. They loved camping together, and some of their favorite times were spent at Pioneer Park and Lime Lake in addition to trips to the Upper Peninsula and Canada. Many times their close friends, the Huizengas whom they met at Immanuel Lutheran Church where both families attended, came along. The two families were also were known to pile into the International Harvester car for Sunday drives through the woods on two track roads. There were several trips up to the Olds family cottage on Pickerel Lake. Eventually, Ellery and Marlyn built their own cottage on a portion of the familys property. Later in life they spent ten years living on Pickerel Lake year round. Throughout his life Ellery was one to keep busy. He enjoyed hunting and fishing throughout his life, and during the winters he could often be found out ice fishing in a shanty built from an old airplane engine crate. Bow hunting for deer and bear hunting with his son were favorite pastimes. After retiring, Ellery put his handyman skills to good use building several different homes for family members, taking care of the majority of the work himself. He also did work around the Vikings lodge, took on other remodeling jobs, and liked making toys for his grandchildren, too. Ellery was filled with unspeakable joy to become a grandfather and made a point of getting to as many of his grandchildrens events and activities as he could. Together he and Marlyn traveled quite a bit to places like Mexico, Hawaii, and the Caribbean in addition to taking cruises. During the winter they traveled to Florida or Texas for several years. Ellery was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church as well as a longtime member of the Vikings. In 2008, Ellery was deeply saddened with his beloved wifes death. Although he had some heart issues that slowed him down a bit, he was able to remain on his own for a while. As he needed more care, Ellery moved into Sanctuary at the Oaks in Muskegon where he adjusted well to his new environment and enjoyed taking part in activities and being social with other residents. He did still make trips up to the cottage, and he also liked going to his daughter Kerrys home to spend the day on the banks of the Muskegon River. All who knew Ellery Olds would agree that he was an amazing man inside and out. He was thoughtful, generous, and kind with a genuine desire to truly know others. Ellery will never be forgotten. Ellery Olds died on Wednesday, March 25, 2015. Ellerys family includes his daughters, Debra (Jim) Greene of Rogers City, Sandra (Hugh) Neville of N. Muskegon, Kerry (Dave) Scripps of Newaygo; son, Daniel (Regina) Olds of Dorr MI; 10 grandchildren; 6 great-grandchildren; 3 step grandchildren; 6 great step grandchildren; sister, Jeanine (Gene) Tousey of Newaygo; several nieces & nephews. Memorial serves will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015, 4:00 p.m. with visitation one hour prior to the service at the Clock Chapel - Muskegon with Julie Winklepleck officiating and Military Honors under the Auspices of the Muskegon County Council of Veterans. Memorials can be made to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - American Cancer Society. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory.