Although he was born at Muskogee Hospital, John “Johnny” Sellers, III grew up in Eufaula, graduated from Eufaula High School and attended some college. He ended up going into the retail business in what became known as the Sellers Building. He also held interest in the nursing home.

The Sellers Building, where Johnny operated the Ben Franklin store, was originally built by the Brown Brothers, which were a Jewish family who ran a dry goods store back at the turn of the 20th Century. Today, the building, owned by Karen Weldin, houses E’s Hideaway Restaurant.

Johnny was born the eldest of eight children to John and Normagene (Whitlow) Sellers. A veteran of World War II, John was a pharmacist in Eufaula. Johnny’s three brothers, Leo Gates and twins, Terry and Kerry, are deceased. His four sisters are Sherry Paige of Eufaula, Jill of Edmond, Toni of Oklahoma City and Lu from Mesa, Arizona.

Johnny’s paternal grandparents, John and Lula (Pettus) Sellers came to Eufaula from Canadian Oklahoma. They built the Sellers Hotel and Drug Store, located where Pat’s Li-quor now stands at the corner of Front Street and J.C. Watts Avenue.

His maternal grandparents were Leo and May (Turner) Whitlow. Leo operated a jewelry store and sold insurance in Eufaula. Leo’s parents were William and Rosa Lee (Marshall) Whitlow.

After William, a member of the Muscogee Creek, passed away, Rosa Lee married Cornelius. E. Foley. Besides Leo, the Whitlows had another son, Ralph. Rosa Lee and C.E. Foley had four sons, Cornelius Jr., an infant son who died at two months, Marshall and Arthur.

Although Johnny has lived most of his life in Eufaula, he did live for a while in Oklahoma City and Florida. He and his wife, Marty, are now residents of Eufaula.

Johnny is an avid history buff with special interests in Native American heritage and sports. He loves sharing information.

“You know, I don’t think I had Oklahoma History in school, but I do a lot of reading,” he said.