Orvalle Lengele

Orvalle (Orv) Lengele was born on November 6, 1924 in Albany, Oregon, to Hazel (Akers) and Dolph Lengele. His parents divorced when he was six years old and he later went to live with his grandparents on their wheat farm where he learned to raise farm animals and work the farm.



Orv attended Corvallis High School. His teen years were filled with working the farm, attending school, or roller skating with his friends. He joined the Navy in 1943. He served on the U.S.S. Squier which transported troops back and forth from the states to both the European and Pacific theaters.



His two favorite ports were San Francisco and New York City. He spoke fondly of the people of New York City for their welcoming treatment of servicemen visiting their city. Another reason he loved Manhattan was because he met his lifelong love, Lucy, at a roller skating rink on his birthday in 1943. They wrote letters and dated when he was in NYC on leave; they wed in April 1946.



Orv brought Lucy back to Corvallis and his first job after the war was at a dairy. They later settled in Medford. Orv became known in his restaurant services career for his work ethic and friendliness. He had a great sense of humor and liked to joke around with people.



They later made their home in Eugene. Orv had many fond stories of holiday gatherings, Saturday night card parties and camping trips with cousins, nieces and nephews. Lucy and Orv also loved to take day trips out to the country. They were blessed with the adoption of a baby boy, John, in September 1964. John was the apple of Orv’s eye.



In the 1970s Orv worked for Standard Brands in Seattle. The three of them relocated to Kirkland (WA) during John’s later elementary school years. The territory Orv was responsible for at his job was Alaska, Montana, Washington and Oregon.



They later relocated to Hillsboro where John attended 8th grade and high school. Orv was known for having the best front lawn in their neighborhood – one of his favorite things to do was to visit with neighbors in his driveway. Orv and Lucy welcomed a daughter-in-law Christine in 1987 and triplet granddaughters Emma, Bonnie and Shannon in 1998. Orv and Lucy were married for 55 years; after a long illness she died in 2001. Orv, John, Christine and the girls moved to Sherwood to be closer to John’s job. Orv got busy with the new front lawn and getting to know the neighbors. John later got a job in Seattle and they all moved up to Renton (WA). After John’s untimely passing Orv moved to North Plains.



Orv got involved with the North Plains Senior Citizens Center and reconnected with family and friends and made new friends. He volunteered at the Center and on the board. He enjoyed meeting friends at Spirit Mountain Casino in Grande Ronde.



Orv was a good-hearted man and will be missed. He was an extremely hard worker. Orv will remain in our hearts always. He had “ups” and “downs” in his life but by his reckoning, mostly “ups”. He saw so much history take place. His life was a blessing. May he rest in peace.