Rev. Orville "Junior" Wells

Rev. Orville “Junior” Wells, a devoted servant of God, beloved husband, father, spiritual father, and mentor to many was called home to Jesus on January 31, 2024. He was born at home on Amity Road in the Prairie Township of Franklin County Ohio on November 26, 1932, as the eldest child to father Orville Wells Sr. and mother Elsie Mae (Miller) Wells. As a teenager, Junior Wells loved God and was a good student, hard worker, and from all accounts “a great older brother”. After graduating high school, he began an apprenticeship to become a Sheetmetal worker tradesman. Orville was drafted into the Army and his period of active duty was from February 24, 1953, to February 2, 1955. Shortly after his release from active duty, on May 21, 1955, he married his sweetheart Clara “Ruth” Stanley that he had written every day while he was away.

Orville and Ruth continued to be faithfully involved in their hometown church in West Jefferson, Ohio. During his time there, Orville served as a Sunday School Teacher, Youth Leader and Deacon. Four of Orville and Ruth’s five children were born during their time in West Jefferson Ohio. Orville supported his growing family with his job as a Journeyman Sheetmetal Worker Tradesman. In 1967, Orville and Ruth decided to follow a senior pastor and mentor Rev. Hanby to New York State to evangelize and spread the gospel. Orville assisted Rev. Hanby in starting a United Pentecostal Church in Rensselaer, NY. During this time, he also performed as an instructor in the Bible school that was established in Schenectady, NY, was a Deacon in the church, and continued his full-time job as a Tradesman.

After several years, Orville and Ruth branched out on their own and opened the Pentecostal Chapel in a rural section of Columbia County, NY known as Glenco Mills. In 1978, Orville and Ruth purchased a former Episcopal church building and parsonage and founded the Pentecostal Gospel Lighthouse in Stottville, NY. This church was the center of his life until his death. Brother Wells as he was known always continued to educate himself about the word of God and obtained a BA in Theology from Indiana Bible College. He spent his time reaching out to people in the local community, doing in home Bible studies to all who were interested, performing countless baptisms, and inspiring and mentoring so many to become life- long church members and to become ministers themselves. His passion of sharing God’s word also extended globally, motivating his Pentecostal Gospel Light House to be the top per capitia donor in NYS for United Pentecostal Church International.

Bro. Wells taught as an instructor at a United Pentecostal Bible school in Corinth, NY. Bro. Wells’ own church member Sis. Veronica Mercuri was the school’s first valedictorian who had started off as a teen getting Bible studies in his living room. Orville volunteered his time to provided weekly Bible lessons at the local Firemen’s Home for over 20 years. Bro. Wells had a reputation for being extraordinarily humble, kind, and authentic. As his child, I have lost track of how many times I have been told by people from so many places and walks of life that my father Bro. Wells is the single most true-blue Christian man that they have ever met in their life and that they remember him as the kindest man they ever met. To me he was just my dad, so he’s been a tough act for anyone to follow. All his children know what a truly good man is.

Orville is survived by his sister Mary Jane Johnston and brother Wayne Leonard Wells, his five children Orville Jerry Wells, Edward Joseph Wells, Mariann (Wells) Starin, Julia Esther (Wells) Biernacki, Rebecca Lynn (Wells) Grey, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. 

Orville was preceded in death by his wife Clara Ruth (Stanley) Wells, his parents Orville Wells, Sr. and Elsie Mae (Miller) Wells, two brothers Fred Eugene Wells and Robert Lee Wells, and one sister Ruth Mae (Wells) Hicks. 

A wake will be held at the Pentecostal Gospel Lighthouse Church on February 9, 2024, 5-8 PM and a service on February 10, 2024, 2 PM. Bro. Wells will then travel west to his hometown in Ohio and a service will be held SATURDAY, February 17, 2024, 10:00 AM at the Apostolic Gospel Church 153 E. Pearl St. West Jefferson, OH. Internment to follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery next to his wife of 63 years Clara Ruth Wells.