Orville Nelson "Doc" BEAR

BEAR, SHELDEN, STEVENS, CARSE, BACH, STACY, BEAL, BALES, TONEY, TRULLINGER, WALBRIDGE, ESCH, CAMPBELL, AURINGER

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 1/13/2009 at 01:53:35

The Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County County, Iowa
April, 2002

OBITUARY

Orville Nelson BEAR was born October 10, 1910 at Kellerton, Iowa to William Franklin and Anna Pearl (SHELDEN) BEAR. His love and care for animals earned him the nickname Doc that everyone knew him by.

Doc started grading roads with horses with his father when he was yet a teenager. He also engaged in farming with his dad and later for himself. On August 21, 1931, he was united in marriage to Donna L. STEVENS at Bethany, Missouri. They continued to farm until 1946 when the family went to Portland, Oregon for the next four and one-half years. The family returned to farm until 1953 when they moved to Tingley, Iowa and Doc started working for the Ringgold County Road Department as a road grader. Tingley would remain their home until Doc and Donna became residents of the Clearview Home in Mount Ayr at the end of 1999.

Doc passed away on April 26, 2002.

Doc was a family oriented husband and father. Sunday meals with family were important and he enjoyed the company of family and friends. He will be known for a strong work ethic and he took pride in his garden and yard. He loved little kids and animals. Doc knew and respected horses. He helped Glee break her horses and could ride a horse right. As a young man he delivered mail by horse, which was not an easy task.

Of course, Doc will always be remembered for his sense of humor, his wit and jokester characteristics. Doc and Donna enjoyed the meal site in Tingley.

Doc was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Anna BEAR CARSE; five sisters, Theola BARBOUR, Thelma BEAR, Frata BACH, Edna STACY and Gladys BEAL; and three brothers, Glenn, Leonard and Eugene BEAR.

He will be remembered and missed by his loving wife of 70 years Donna; four children, Nadine BALES of Pittsburg, California, Ramon BEAR and wife Deloris of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, Gary BEAR and wife Marilyn of Diagonal, Iowa and Glee TONEY and special friend Gene TRULLINGER of Union Star, Missouri; grandson Craig WALBRIDGE and wife Karen and their children Christopher, Michael and Jessica; granddaughter, Shannon (WALBRIDGE) ESCH and husband Doug and their children Megan and her son Christian, Brandon and his wife Tristan and their daughter Alyssa, Jeremy and Devin; grandson Allen BEAR and wife Wanda and their son Nathaniel; grandson Cristopher TONEY and wife Allynn and their sons Collin and Kyle; granddaughter Debra (TONEY) AURINGER; a sister Doris CAMPBELL of Indianola, Iowa; and nieces, nephews and a host of friends.

Funeral services were held Wednesday, May 1, 2002 at Wilson-Watson & Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr with Reverends Peter BRANTER and Eydie STEPHENS officiating. Musicians were Nancy SACKETT, Mary TRULLINGER and Margaret BICKERS. Casket bearers were Jerry KEMERY, Ted BEAR, R. C. RUSH, Lloyd MILLER, Willis "Turk" ALLEN and Marlyn TINDLE. Honorary pall bearers were Roger MORRISON, Ken NURNBURG and Mack SICKELS.

Doc was laid to rest in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, January of 2009