Emmett Orrin Cilley
Personal
Gender: Male
Date of Death: January 19, 2011
Birth Place: Long Beach, CA
Death Place: Carlsbad, CA
Emmett Orrin Cilley, 90 CARLSBAD
Emmett Orrin Cilley died Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at his home in Carlsbad. He was born in Long Beach, California, the youngest child of Emmett and Emma Cilley, on January 8th, 1921. The family moved to Oceanside after the earthquake in 1933 and Emmett graduated from Oceanside-Carlsbad High School in 1940. During high school, he worked with his father at Shanks’ Hardware Store, and after graduating he also drove a school bus while attending Oceanside -Carlsbad Jr. College. When he had time and money, he would drive his date, Nellie Connor, around in his Model A Ford. The couple married in 1941 and had a daughter, Dianne, before he was drafted. He was chosen to be part of the signal corps and his work supported the D-Day invasion as well as the drive into Germany. On his return, he got a job in construction at Camp Pendleton, eventually becoming a leading man on the base road crew. In 1975, after his retirement, he bought his second Model A and restored it, and later several others, from the frame up. He joined the local Palomar A’s car club where he was many times the tour leader and technical advisor. The homemade plaques he gave out with a humorous story or two were the hit of the club’s Christmas party for over 20 years. He is survived by Nellie, his wife of nearly 70 years; his daughter and son-in-law, Dianne and John Frazee of Carlsbad; granddaughter, Lisa Frazee of Oceanside and her children, Andrew and Alyssa Morgosh; grandson, David Frazee, his wife, Karyn, and their children Fernando, Jose’, and Diego of Escondido. A Celebration of his Life will be held at 1p.m., Sunday, February 13, at the Frazee home, 2410 Appian Rd., Carlsbad, Calif. 92010.
Published in North County Times on January 30, 2011
