Announces Grand Marshals and Honorary Grand Marshals
2024 Convoy Community Days Parade will be held Saturday July 13, 2024, at 3pm with Grand Marshals Ray & Floyd Etzler and Honorary Grand Marshals Ray Bonar, Liam & Patricia Mailey, Caroline Mailey & Patrick Dunnion our friends from Ireland visiting for Convoy’s 150th Celebration. The parade theme is “The Little Town That Does Big Things” and will travel from the Crestview Schools to Edgewood Park.
Floyd Etzler moved to Convoy with his parents and siblings in 1946 and attended Convoy Union, graduating from the first class of Crestview in 1961. He attended Wright State in Celina and Indiana Tech Fort Wayne. Floyd married his high school sweetheart, Ruth Ann (Harting) Etzler in 1963. They are the parents of Scott Etzler, Sara Royer & Suzi Adams, six grandchildren and four great grandchildren. In his childhood years he was a newspaper carrier mowed lawn, baled hay, cleaned soybeans and painted a house. Lots of fun was had with lots of neighborhood kids on the south side of Convoy. Floyd retired from International Harvester Engineering in Ft. Wayne as a Sr Project Engineer in 2006. He received several US Patent Awards. He is a member of the Redeemer Lutheran Church, served as past president of the Convoy Lions Club, served o VW County School Board, created drawings for the Convoy Edgewood Park layout and on the parks board. Having lived, worked, and played in Convoy all my life, it has been a blessing to enjoy the citizenship, work ethic, and pride that this community offers to all those who have call or now call Convoy their hometown and congratulate Convoy on its 150th year anniversary.
Ray Etzler graduated from the Convoy Union in 1959. Attended Defiance College on a basketball scholarship, receiving All Conference, All District and All-American Honors. Graduated in 1963. Ray started teaching at Crestview North Elementary, then moved to high school where he taught Social Studies, then Guidance Counselor, High School Principal, Interim Superintendent, Elementary Principal & Athletic Director. He coached basketball, baseball, girls track & football. He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Paul Waler Award, Bob Arzen Award, Coach of the Year, District Eight and Ohio high School Basketball Association.
Ray was inducted into the Defiance College Hall of Fame and received the Outstanding Achievement Award. He and his wife, Coleen (Bagley) Etzler have been married for 62 years and have four children, Lori Hammons, Douglas Etzler, Andrew Etzler & Daniel Etzler. They have twelve grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Ray is a member of the Convoy Lions Club and Gideons International as well as Redeemer Lutheran Church. Ray is proud to have grown up in a small community. He has many times said “Do not forget your roots as they play a large part in the development of your life.
Honorary Grand Marshals will be Our Friends from Convoy Donegal, Ireland, attending weekend festivities. Mr. Ray Bonar was in Convoy Ohio when the tombstone of Robert Nesbit was reconstructed and Liam Mailey is the chairman of the Convoy Ireland Community & Environmental Committee and recently unveiled a plaque that has been displayed on the bridge in Lower TullyDonnel, Convoy which is beside the entrance to the Nesbitt home that commemorates Convoy Ohio Celebrating 150 years & one in the Convoy Village Square. Liam and his wife Patricia, daughter Caroline and her friend Patrick Dunnion are also celebrating with us in Convoy Ohio this weekend.
This event is sponsored by Convoy Lions Club & Convoy Community Days.
