Orv, 89, died from congestive heart failure March 7, 2010, in Phoenix, Arizona. He was born August 24, 1920, in Jamestown, N.D. He attended school in North Dakota and graduated from Sentinel Butte High School in 1938. He was active in all sports in high school and college.

Orv attended Dickinson State College and joined the North Dakota National Guard in 1939. Orv saw action in the South Pacific and stayed in the reserves after the war and was discharged as a major. His unit was the first Army unit who came ashore to reinforce the Marines on Guadalcanal; they became part of new division called the Americal. Orville was proud to be among those who helped secure Henderson Field.

He jumped at Missoula in 1946-47 along with his brother Bob. Orv received his bachelor's degree from the College of Great Falls, his master's from the University of Montana and his Ph.D from Montana State University. He was the head of the education department at Carroll College from 1965-72 and retired in 1980.