Fay Orvis

Mr. Fay T. Orvis, age 90, of Greenville, passed away Tuesday, August 17, 2010 in the emergency room of Spectrum Health-United Memorial, Greenville. The son of Wilbur & Ethel (Cook) Orvis, he was born on Dec. 10, 1919 in Marion. A veteran of World War II, Fay served with the U.S. Navy as a Gunners Mate Third Class aboard the mine sweeper YMS 293 in the Asiatic Pacific theater and aided in the liberation of the Philippine Islands. On Sept. 17, 1949, in Greenville, he married Donna Jean Green and together they raised four children and enjoyed almost 61 years of marriage. For nearly ten years Fay worked at the former Gibson Refrigerator Company until hiring on a R.J. Tower Corporation where he retired as a crane operator. He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Floyd Orvis; and two sisters, Lela Keller and Faith Gettings (his twin). Surviving are his wife, Donna J. Orvis of Greenville; their children, William Lee & Donna Lynn Orvis of Benton Harbor, Beverly Baldwin of Greenville, Sharon Orvis of Stanton, and John Orvis of Orleans; seven grandchildren, Sarah & James Rushing, Jim Hunt & Kylee Buskirk, Lisa Hunt, LeNae Orvis, and Zachery Orvis, Kellie Craig, and the Rev. Father Patrick Craig; four great grandchildren, Gabrielle Craig, Grace Craig, Hailee Jewell, and Owen Jewell; a brother-in-law, Melvin Green of Belding; and several nieces and nephews. Visitation is Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Christiansen Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 511 S. Franklin Street, Greenville, where funeral services will be held on Friday at 11:00 a.m. The Rev. Byron Davey will officiate, and burial, with military honors rendered by the U.S. Navy, will follow at Forest Home Cemetery, Greenville. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Fay Orvis, please visit our flower store.