Funeral For Victim In Furniture Store Explosion
A funeral was held in Westland, Monday, for one of the victims of last week's explosion at a Wayne furniture store.
Firefighters joined dozens of other mourners at a memorial for James Zell, held at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Zell, 64, was as a salesman at Franks Furniture Store on Wayne Road north of Michigan Avenue, located a few blocks from the church.
He was killed, along with a coworker, 54-year-old Leslie Machniak, when a gas leak triggered an explosion.
A memorial gathering for Machniak will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday followed by a 7 p.m. service at Westland's Vermeulen Funeral Home.
Store owner, Paul Franks, remained hospitalized Monday at the University of Michigan Medical Center.
Meantime, the investigation to determine the cause of the gas leak continues. Police say a portion of the gas main has been shipped to Huston for further testing.
