Orville D. Merillat
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Orville D. Merillat (May 1, 1916 – January 15, 1999) was an American businessman and philanthropist, who was the founder of Merillat Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of wooden kitchen cabinets. He was born on a farm in
Tedrow, Ohio Tedrow is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in southwestern Dover Township, Fulton County, Ohio, Dover Township, Fulton County, Ohio, Fulton County, Ohio, United States. It lies at the intersection ...
, on May 1, 1916, the seventh of the fifteen children of David Merillat (1868-1943) and his wife, née Emma Jane McCallum (1886-1946). Orville quit school in the ninth grade to work on the family farm. In the 1940 Census he was living in Dover Township, Fulton County, Ohio, and his occupation was given as carpenter. He married Ruth Meller on January 19, 1941, and served in the U.S. Coast Guard during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war, he started a cabinet-making business with his wife, and became the co-founder, President and CEO of Merillat Industries, Inc., building the business on the principles set forth in Malachi 3:10. Always a team, he and Ruth eventually employed over 3,000 people with more than eleven factories across the United States. Orville retired when the business was sold in 1985 to the Masco Corporation, and his son then became the President of Merillat Industries. Orville was the recipient of the Michigan Small Business Person of the Year in 1977, and co-recipient with Ruth of the National Association of Evangelicals' Laypersons of the Year in 1988. He co-founded the Orville and Ruth Merillat Foundation and founded the Christian Family Foundation. His benefactions included being a major benefactor and contributor to Siena Heights College (now Siena Heights University) in Adrian, Michigan; he was a major contributor to Huntington University in Indiana, and was a major contributor to Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. Also, Orville was founder and benefactor of
Lenawee Christian School Lenawee Christian School is a private Christian school located at 111 Wolf Creek Highway in Adrian, Michigan. It serves 585 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The student-teacher ratio of the school was 13.18 for the 2009–2010 schoo ...
and the Christian Family Centre, and was the founder and benefactor of Michindoh Camp and Conference Center in Hillsdale, Michigan. He donated an obstetrics ward to Narsapur Hospital in
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, and donated a wing to Bixby Hospital in
Adrian, Michigan Adrian is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Lenawee County. The population was 20,645 at the 2020 census. Adrian lies in Michigan's 7th congressional district. History Adrian was founded on June 18, 1826 by Addison Co ...
. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Huntington College and was the co-author of his autobiography "His Guiding Hand" published by Coral Ridge Ministries in 1992. Politically, he was a major contributor to the Republican Party. Orville and Ruth Merillat had one son,
Richard Merillat Richard Merillat is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and the retired President/CEO of Merillat Industries. Born in Adrian, Michigan, his parents were Ruth and Orville D. Merillat, founder of Merillat Industries, Inc., which was acquired by the Mas ...
. Richard and his wife Lynette are the parents of three children, Wendy, Collette and Tricia. Orville D. Merillat died in Adrian on January 15, 1999.United States Social Security Death Index, at familysearch.org.


References

1916 births 1999 deaths People from Fulton County, Ohio People from Adrian, Michigan Siena Heights University 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1910s-stub