Ray Sollenberger

Ray Sollenberger, 84, died Thursday, February 21, 2013. His parents were Jacob and Pearl (Woy) Sollenberger. He lived all of his life in the Everett area, near Mench,  and  was a 1945 graduate of Everett Area High School, where  he sang bass in the Male and Mixed  Choruses.  Ray was a retired dairy farmer; the farm known as Ralaine Jerseys.

On September 25, 1954, he married Elaine (Mock) Sollenberger. In 2012 they celebrated fifty-eight  wedding anniversaries.  Three children and four grandchildren joined the family. Beth, married to Tim Morphew,  sons Keith, graduate of Purdue University,  and Craig, senior at Manchester University, living in Goshen, Indiana; Lori, married to Rex Knepp, daughter Morgan, a sophomore at Juniata College, and son Bradley, 7th grade at Everett Area High School,  living in Everett;  Leon, married to Sharon (Atwood) Sollenberger living in Haleiwa, Hawaii.

Ray is one of four brothers: Ellis (wife Jane Baker, deceased) of New Enterprise; Lloyd and wife Lura  (Leitzel) living in Everett; Robert (wife Verna Schlosser) both deceased. A close cousin, Ruth (Sollenberger) Koontz, lives in Bedford.  Ray's father-in-law, Clair Mock, lives at  Colonial Courtyard, Bedford.

Along with the full-time work and management of the dairy farm, Ray pursued other interests.  He was a member of several farm related organizations, served on those boards, often as chair. Those include: Bedford County Agricultural Extension and Atlantic  Breeders' Cooperative.  He was an Auditor for West Providence Township. Ray was a member the PA Jersey Cattle Association and received their Distinguished Service Award, and  of the American  Jersey Cattle Association, and  a lifetime member of the Dairy Shrine Club.

Ray was a member of the Church of the Brethren, first in the Cherry Lane Congregation and then the Everett Congregation. He taught Junior High Sunday School classes, served on the Church Board in several capacities, including chair for a time, and the Music and Worship Committee. For many years Ray's greatest joy in church activity was singing in the Chancel Choir. Ray served as chair of the Middle District Camp Committee and was instrumental in the purchase of the land for a camp that became Camp Blue Diamond. He served on the District Board and was the first Lay Moderator for the Middle District; he was elected to the Standing Committee for Annual Conference, a denominational committee.

Among Ray's greatest joys was to see the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. From teaching them to ride a two-wheeled bicycle, he moved them up to learning  to drive the farm machinery; helped them learn how to show their Jersey 4-H dairy projects at the local fairs and at state and national dairy shows; he taught a granddaughter how to weld. When possible, Ray attended their musical concerts, other special events and graduations, always encouraging  and praising their academic achievements.

After retiring Ray spent many hours designing and creating items from brass, steel, and wood. Many of those were made for grandchildren or given as gifts to others.  He made a number of gift sets of brass Christmas ornaments, 18 different designs in each set.  Another project was to reproduce, in brass, a logo of the Church of the Brethren. Quite a few of those were made and given to leaders of the church. He had a special request to make one of those logos to be given as a gift from the denomination to an ecumenical church leader during a meeting of the World Council of Churches Assembly; it was given  to  Bishop Zacharias Mar Theophilus from  India. Ray was also asked to design and make  a large  logo for the worship center for a National Youth Conference in  Colorado. One church camp has a swing set; another one has a wagon for taking hayrides, both made by Ray. The Sollenberger farm features a variety of growing trees that Ray planted over the years.

One of Ray's greatest  hopes  was that there could be peace in the world, that wars would not be used to settle differences.

A service for family, neighbors, and friends to Remember and Celebrate Ray's life will be held  Saturday, March 16, 2013, at 11:00 a.m. at the Everett Church of the Brethren.

Memorial Gifts of remembrance may be made to any of these or to the donor's choice:
Camp Blue Diamond,  P.O. Box 240, Petersburg, PA   16669; Church of the Brethren, 1451 Dundee Avenue,
Elgin, IL 60120;  Everett Church of the Brethren, Memorial Fund, 119 East Second Street, Everett, PA 15537

Arrangements entrusted to Jack H. Geisel Funeral Home, Inc., Everett

Online condolences may be expressed at www.geiselfuneral.com.

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