Wallace “Wally” R. Ely, 81, died Aug. 7, 2018, in Allentown.

An author, historian, broadcaster and marketer, he was a prolific writer, spending part of every day at his computer writing essays about his life and memories of the Lehigh Valley, as well as several railroad books and e-books.

He received the Arts Ovation Award from the Allentown Arts Commission in 2011 for literary excellence.

He and his devoted wife, Suzanne, also his caregiver, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in June.

He was well known for his popular book on the history of Dorney Park, which was published with his friend and former park chairman Bob Ott.

He also wrote “Does This Train Go Up Hawk Mountain” for the WK&S Railroad, Kempton, and ”Auto Train” for Arcadia Publishing.

In 2012, he published five ebooks for Amazon.com and the Kindle reader.

A 1958 graduate of Muhlenberg College, he entered broadcasting and legendary newsman Alan Raber at radio station WKAP trained him to be a news writer and broadcaster.

Most of his life was spent in bank marketing, advertising, research and public relations with Merchants Bank, Allentown, and later Meridian Bank/CoreStates in Reading.

Graduated from the School of Bank Marketing at the University of Colorado, he taught a bank marketing course at the American Institute of Banking, and another at Cedar Crest College.

He also worked as a buyer-trainee for H. Leh and Company, and a field representative for General Motors in the Allentown office of GMAC.

Born in West Reading, he lived as a small child with his parents in Reading, then Wescosville, then Fourth Street in center city Allentown.

His parents were Helen (Rogowski) Ely and Thomas Garfield Ely.

Active in Lutheran church affairs, he served two terms as president of the Allentown Area Lutheran Parish, later the Lehigh Mission District, and was vice president, president, secretary and treasurer of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Allentown, where he was a lector, usher and assisting minister.

He served two terms as president of the Allentown-Lehigh County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and then served on the committee for combining tourist services of Lehigh and Northampton counties.

In retirement, he became a producer of feature segments for RCN TV.

His 190 segments produced after 1996 were the greatest number for a producer in the history of the RCN studio.

He also worked for 19 years as a part-time driver in the transportation department of Outten Chevrolet, Allentown and Hamburg.

Vice president of the Lehigh Valley Timing Association, he was a volunteer at America On Wheels.

Charter member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Allentown-Salisbury, he served numerous terms as board member and club secretary during 50 years of membership.

He was a charter member of the Postcard Club of the Lehigh Valley.

He loved the WK&S Railroad, Kempton, where he served on the committee that founded the line in 1962, and was a volunteer ticket agent and trainman for much of the 55-plus year history of the line.

Corporate president, secretary and member of the board of directors, he chaired the “Save The Railroad Committee” in 1969, making reorganization of the company possible.

First president of the Hawk Mountain Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. he was a 50-plus year member of NRHS.

He managed a family business during the 1970s and was a franchisee for the Holiday Rent-A-Car System with offices in Dorneyville and East Allentown, and operated the Gulf gas station at the car wash on Hamilton Boulevard.

He was a lifelong Phillies fan.

His three children blessed him with four grandsons.

His daughter Dr. Linda Wieder and her husband, Charles, of St. Michaels, Md., are the parents of Timothy and Michael; son David Ely of Whitehall, is the father of Richard, husband of Michelle and stepfather of Jenna Edwards.

Jenna’s children, his step-great-grandchildren, are Ariel and Juliana. His son Scott and wife, Susan, of Fairview, are parents of Nicholas.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 37 S. 5th St., Allentown, PA 18102.

Arrangements made by Stephens Funeral Home Inc., Allentown.