Orville Byron Christianson

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=12444714

OBITUARY- AUSTIN -- The funeral for Orville Christianson will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church in rural Austin, with the Rev. Luther Mathesen officiating. Burial will be in Red Oak Grove Cemetery with military graveside rites by American Legion Post 52 and VFW Post 878. Mr. Christianson, 80, of Route 1, Austin, a longtime area farmer, died Wednesday May 3, 1995 at Good Samaritan Center in Albert Lea. Born Jan. 12, 1915, in Freeborn County, he graduated from Austin High School in 1933. From June 1941 to November 1945 he served in the Army with overseas duty in the China-Burma-India theater for 2 years. On Jan. 23, 1943, he married Helen Thompson He worked at the Hormel research farm before joining the Army and returned there after his discharge and also worked at Hormel Foods Corp. until 1946 when he began farming. He served the community in a number of capacities including as a member of the Udolpho Town Board, trustee and treasurer of Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, and was a member of the REA Board of Directors until forced to retiring for health reasons. For the past 17 years he and his wife had spent the winters in Arizona. He enjoyed playing golf, billiards and shuffleboard. Mr. Christianson was a lifelong member of Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church, an associate member of Victory Lutheran Church in Mesa, Ariz., and a life member of the DAV and American Legion. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Teresa (Mrs. Harold) Berg of Sandstone, Minn.; two sons, Brian of Edwardsville, Ill., and Dr. Paul of Georgetown, Texas; four grandchildren; a sister, Inez Noble of Austin; and three brothers, Bennett of Albert Lea, and Ivan and Arnold, both of Austin. He was preceded in death by two sisters and four brothers. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. today at Blooming Prairie Fuenral Home and an hour before the service Saturday at the church.