Fredric Van Sellers I, age 85, earned his Heavenly wings on January 31, 2021. He graduated from Akron South High School class of 1954 and attended Kent State University, where he played football and ran track.
Fredric was one of the founding members of the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in 1958. He was a United States Army and Marine Veteran. He was Akron’s first African American Eagle Scout and the second in Ohio. He remained actively involved with the Boy Scouts for many years. He retired from General Tire, where he worked as a Tire Testing Technician. He worked in conjunction with Engineers, utilizing million dollar equipment to test different aspects of the tire building process, retiring after 30 years in 1997.
He was also a 32nd Degree Mason, past Master of Victor Lodge #7, and past Senior Warden of Buckeye Grand Lodge of Ohio. He was a very supportive father, grandfather, and husband. He was the type of father who always supported his children 100 percent.
Fredric had several hobbies which included taking over the grill at family barbecues. He enjoyed electronics, computers, and he wrote several colorful short stories. He researched our family genealogy back to the 1870s. He was a very gifted photographer and a diehard Cleveland Browns fan. He will be very deeply missed.
He was preceded in death by his parents, David Sellers, and Ruby Valentine; brothers, David Prater and Dewitt Sellers; daughter, Cassie Sellers.
He leaves behind his loving wife of 60 beautiful years, Elizabeth J. (Gaines) Sellers; daughters, Lisa (Edward) Stewart and Terri (Loren) Bell, Sr.; son, Fredric Sellers II; grandchildren, Jason and Leland Stewart, Loreal and Loren Bell, Jr., Fredric Sellers III, Braylon Sellers and Brittany (Jacob) Ivery; great-grandchildren, Carter and Mehki Stewart; brothers-in-law, Donald (Liandre) Gaines and Alvin Lee; sisters-in-law, Donna Gaines and Ann (Sheldon) Fant, and a host of other relatives and friends.