Orren O. Van Zile

Orren O. Van Zile, age 91, of Montpelier, Ohio, passed away at 11:21 P.M. on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, at Community Hospitals and Wellness Centers-Bryan after a brief illness. Mr. Van Zile attended Metz School in Metz, Indiana, through the 8th grade and later graduated from Montpelier High School. He was a veteran of the United States Army, serving from 1951-1953 in Germany. He was employed by Powers and Sons as a machinist and foreman, retiring with nearly forty-two years of service. Orren was a member of the Montpelier Fire Department from 1962-1975, serving many years as chief. He also was a member of Montpelier American Legion Post #109, of which he was made an honorary commander, and also served on the honor guard firing squad and for many years helped coordinate the annual marking of graves for Memorial Day. He also was a longtime member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Montpelier. Most of all, Orren enjoyed spending time with his legion buddies and his family. Orren O. Van Zile was born on March 26, 1930, in Edon, Ohio, the son of George W. and Lena Irene (Van Pelt) Van Zile. He married his wife of seventy years, Helen I. Livesparger, on March 24, 1951, at the Chapel in the Garden in Angola, Indiana, and she survives. Surviving in addition to his wife are two sons, Michael (Carol) Van Zile, of Sylvania, Ohio, and Jerry (Anita) Van Zile, of Fayette, Ohio; one daughter, Shelley (Greg) Repp, of Montpelier; sixteen grandchildren; and twelve great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Mary Lou Noll and Evelyn Gearhart; and three brothers, Edsel, Bert, and his twin, Lorren Van Zile. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 24, 2021, from 3:00-7:00 P.M. in St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 402 Broad Street, Montpelier. Services will be held on Monday, October 25, 2021, at 11:00 A.M. in St. Paul’s United Methodist Church with Reverend Kevin Doseck officiating. Interment will follow in Riverside Cemetery, Montpelier, with grave side military rites conducted by Montpelier American Legion Post #109 and the United States Army Honor Guard. Memorials are requested to Montpelier American Legion Post #109, Montpelier Fire Department, or St. Paul’s United Methodist Church.