Willemssen, Orville Ray 1938-2021

WILLEMSSEN, GEERDES, DICKMANN

Posted By: Marjorie Brunsting-Volunteer (email)
Date: 8/10/2021 at 10:25:13

Mr. Orville Willemssen, age 83, of Hull, passed away on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

There will be a funeral service on Friday, July 30, at 2:00pm, at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in rural Hull. The Rev. Aaron Deutsch will officiate. Interment will follow the service at the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery. Visitation will be after 3:00pm on Thursday, with the family present from 5:00pm to 7:00pm, at the Oolman Funeral Home in Hull.

Orville Ray was born on March 29, 1938, on a farm south of George, to Irvin Harm and Minnie Marie (Geerdes) Willemssen and was baptized at the Lyon County Frist Presbyterian Church. When he was still a child, his parents moved to a home in George, and Orville attended the public school and graduated from the George High School in 1956. One year later, he enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving much of his time stationed in France. Following his honorable discharge in 1961, he returned to George where he started working at Visser Hardware.

On November 29, 1963, he was united in marriage to Wanda Kay Dickmann at the St. Paul Lutheran Church, where Orville was also confirmed. They briefly lived in George, before moving to a farm southwest of town. In 1969, they were able to purchase their own farmland and acreage north of Hull, where they raised their three children. Orv was blessed to be able to do what he loved until he was eighty years old, officially retiring in 2018.

Orville was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church, where he had served on the church’s council, cemetery board, and other various committees. He was also a member of the Wegman-Koele American Legion Post in Hull. His free time was often spent bird watching and woodworking. He and Wanda liked to travel when they were able, and Orv always enjoyed a good meal. Above all, he loved to spend time with his growing family.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of more than 57 years, Wanda, of Hull; three children and their spouses, Dallas and Melanie Willemssen, of Rock Valley; Darcy and Nick Litzen, of Sioux Falls; and Dalton and Heather Willemssen, of Hull; seven grandchildren, Taylor Litzen, and her fiancé, Matt Kumor; Chloe Litzen; Claire Litzen, and her fiancé, Wyatt McLeod; Kaden Willemssen; Hannah Willemssen; Breckin Willemssen; and Stella Litzen; two step-grandchildren, Brianna Keyes and Derek Keyes; three step-great-grandchildren, Brooklyn, Ryder, and Maze; three sisters-in-law, Gertrude Willemssen, of Leota, Minnesota; Norene, and her husband, Lawrence Funk, of George; and Marilyn, and her husband, Edgar Schrick, of Luverne, Minnesota; along with numerous nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife’s parents, Alfred and Elsie Dickmann; a brother, Charles Willemssen; and a sister and her husband, Mina and Elmer Bartels.

Memorials may be directed to the St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Source: Oolman Funeral Home online obituary.