Melvin F. Sterner

June 6, 1916 - May 16, 2019

Melvin F. Sterner, age 102 of Farmington Hills, passed away May 16, 2019.

Mel was born in Detroit on June 6, 1916. They lived on Maxwell…Mel spoke mostly German prior to kindergarten, the language of the house. When he was 7 years old the family moved to Northville where Mel attended Stone School, a one room schoolhouse, with his siblings, Ethel, Wilfred (Bill), Fred and Walt. When he was 12 he won the Detroit News Spelling Bee…and received the biggest dictionary ever (well, maybe not THE BIGGEST, but it was really big ;). Mel graduated high school in 1933 and went on to The University of Michigan where he earned an Engineering Degree.

After graduating from U of M, he went to work at Holley Carburetor Company. In 1942, Mel married Eva Mae Hutchinson. In February 1945 they welcomed their first born, John… and Mel’s greatest adventure began, he was a DAD (and oh what an amazing Dad he was)!! As World War II came to the United States, Mel went to work on military aircraft fuel systems. One of the highpoint of his amazing career at Holley was working to train the aircrews of the famed Doolittle Raiders in maximizing their range, as well as optimizing the fuel systems of the B-25 bombers, that were flown off the aircraft carrier Hornet to attack Japan, on April 18, 1942. He continued to work at Holley through the war years as an engineer on the fuel systems of military aircraft and occasionally flew on anti-submarine patrols along the east coast of the U.S. After the war he continued at Holley. Along the way, Mel’s second son Jim was born in 1954. During his time at Holley, he, along with his cohorts, designed and patented the first 4 barrel carburetor (sorry this is a LOT of gear head talk, but that was a lot of Mel’s life :). Eventually Mel became Chief Engineer of Holley Carburetor.

In 1963 Mel left Holley to work at Ford Motor Company where he became Chief Engineer of the General Parts Division. While there he continued to accomplish much…Mel worked on the original Ford GT program, which Henry Ford had created with one goal in mind… beating Ferrari at LeMans! In 1966 they achieved exactly that, finishing 1-2-3, ending Ferrari’s domination of the classic race! In 1972 Eve passed away. Later in his career at FoMoCo Mel was named to be the Chairman of the brand new Electronic Engine Controls Task Force. In this position he spearheaded the design and eventual implementation of the first mass produced Electronic Engine Control system (EEC1). Every car produced in the world now uses engine control systems that sprang from the innovations of the EEC1. In 1976 Mel married Gwen. Mel continued in various roles at FoMoCo until his retirement in 1983.

Along the way Mel was the crew chief for the family’s sports car racing adventures and became licensed to compete in professional sports car racing (IMSA) at the tender age of 58.

But here’s the HEART of the story… Mel was the BEST human being you would ever meet! He was…loving, joyful (he whistled ALL the time), peaceful (I very rarely saw him angry), patient, kind, good, gentle and self-controlled. He, more than ANY human being i’ve encountered, lived every day embracing and living out the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The world lost a great man, a bright and shining light. His work accomplishments were many, and amazing, but his real accomplishments, his story, was one of love! He loved everyone he met…and everyone loved him. That is Mel’s legacy!!!

He was the beloved husband of Gwen. Loving father of John (Ivy), Jim (Donna), Sunny, and the late Kimbirly (the late Gary) Vasi. Dear grandfather of Patrick, Kelly, Heather, Mickey, Adam, and Sam. Great-grandfather of Scotty, Rayven, Phoenix, Amelia, Madison and Eleanor. Predeceased by his first wife Eva Mae.

Visitation for Melvin will be held on Wednesday, May 22, from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at McCabe Funeral Home, 31950 W. 12 Mile Rd., Farmington Hills. His funeral service will be held on Thursday, May 23, at 10:00 a.m. at Grace Chapel, 27996 Halsted Rd., Farmington Hills.

In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to American Cancer Society.

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