Willis Elmer Voland Jr.

Willis Elmer Voland Jr.
Born June 1, 1934 – Died May 28, 2026

Luke 6:48

He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And the flood arose; the stream broke against that house and could not shake it.  For it had been built well.

Born June 1, 1934, to parents Willis E. Voland, Sr. and Elizabeth Gredlein Voland.

Husband to Katherine E. Voland (deceased) who he married on December 11, 1954.

His Legacy

Father to David W. Voland (Susan Edmundson Voland), Donald K. Voland (Deborah Uhlar Voland – deceased), Craig E. Voland (Lorie J. Ducharme Voland).

And here is where it gets difficult as the list is long.  He was grandfather to 9.

David W. Voland, Michelle M. Voland Kollmeier, Colleen Voland Kudis, Jennifer Voland Rea, Donald Voland Jr., Caitlin Voland Fanelli, Matthew Voland, Phillip Voland, James Voland.

Each of these Grandchildren can tell their own stories of Big Pap as they all had many growing up years being spoiled by him.

And from there the list just gets longer with 18 Great Grandchildren and 1 Great Great Grand Child.  And just as he did with his Grandchildren, he continued his legacy of spoiling each of them and teaching them about his faith and love of family.  They called him “Great Big Pap”.  They knew and loved him well, as did many nieces and nephews.  He leaves behind more memories among all these children than he will know.  But that was his true goal in life.  His private life was founded on these things, Faith and Family.

He carried those values along with him into his working life.  As a young man he began his long career in the foodservice industry as a manager at Bards Dairy in West View, where he would often be found after hours teaching bible classes to those young men who worked there.  Some of those young men, now retired themselves, became his friends for life.  Which in itself is a testament to his devotion to his faith.  He did what all men of his age did, worked his way through the business he was in, all the while making lifelong friends, spreading the Word of Christ as he went along.  At age 50 he took a leap of faith and opened his own foodservice brokerage company, Foodservice Innovators.  He was joined by his sons Don and Craig and his beloved sister, Betty.  With the help of his family who joined him, he became well known in the Pittsburgh foodservice industry.  He was truly a well-respected man, known for his hard work, his customer always first attitude and as always, his faith.  Only when his eyesight would keep him from driving did he finally, reluctantly retire at age 84.

Obituaries are difficult in that how do you sum up a life so large.  For those reading this who knew him, whether it be from his work life or his church life or his family life, you know what I mean.  For those of your reading this who never had the opportunity to meet this man….I hope that you have someone in your life that you too can smile about and talk about for years to come.  Our lives, and all of those that he touched along the way were richer for having him be a part of it.

Love, His Family

In lieu of flowers, please forward any gifts to:

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, note Kid’s Club or Preschool

Friends will be received at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, Inc. 238 Crowe Ave. Mars, Pa on Monday June 1,2026 from 2-4 and 6-8 P.M.

Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday June 2,2026 at 11:00 A.M.at the Prince of  Peace Lutheran Church ,60 Rochester Road ,Freedom ,PA

Burial will follow at Mt. Royal Cemetery.

Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com