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The Legacy Ray J. Tower II Created Was Done Quietly.
Friday, January 16, 2009
By Susie Fair
The Grand Rapids Press
GREENVILLE -- His efforts and imprint are long and solid in his hometown and in the automotive industry.
The man whose family founded what is now Tower Automotive died Wednesday morning at his Baldwin Lake home. He was 90.
"Ray was an active, yet soft-spoken, citizen," said Montcalm County Commissioner Ron Blanding, who knew Tower for more than six decades.
"He didn't create a lot of waves but, rather, got things done quietly."
Getting things done was what Tower did for nearly 50 years as the fourth generation in the family business.
The firm, which at one point supplied electricity to the city of Greenville, started as a machine shop and foundry in 1874 by Samuel Tower.
As a teenager, Tower started working in the 1930s for the company.
The Greenville High School graduate left in 1936, graduating from Culver (Ind.) Military Academy and attending the University of Michigan before being drafted into the Army for World War II. He earned the Bronze Star for courage and bravery as a tank battalion captain.
Fourteen years after returning from the war, he took over the business from his father, Francis. He remained until his 1983 retirement.
The company, sold in 1994 and also formerly based in Cascade Township, is now headquartered in Livonia, with more than 8,000 employees and $2 billion in annual sales. It has emerged from bankruptcy.
Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce Director Kathy Jo VanderLaan said Tower leaves behind an indelible mark.
"He was one of the last true gentlemen, always calm and caring," she said. "I think that's why his company thrived."
He and his family worked to help Greenville thrive, too.
Tower was on the Greenville school board, the city's Planning Commission and the Montcalm County Council on Aging and helped found the Greenville Area Community Foundation.
Among the evidence of the family's philanthropy are Tower Cemetery in Oakfield Township; Tower Park and Tower Riverside Park, a combined 23 acres in Greenville; and an endowment with the community foundation. He also donated land to the Montcalm County 4-H Fairgrounds and gave to Spectrum Health United Hospital.
Tower's first wife, Susan, died in 1953. His second wife, Mary, died Aug. 4.
Survivors include six children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Funeral services are 1 p.m. Saturday at First Congregational Church, 126 E. Cass St. Visitation is 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. today at the church.
A private family burial is to be at a later date.
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Hudsonville, MI 49426