Orval was born on March 24, 1937 in Wilmington, DE, to Orval C. Hager, Sr. and Reba Thompson Hager. He graduated from Wilmington High School in 1955, and went on to college before joining the United States Navy in 1956. Following an Honorable discharge in 1964, Orval relocated to St. Petersburg, FL and accepted a position as an electronics technician and trainer with the United States Coast Guard, where he served more than 28 years of distinguished service before his retirement in March of 1992.
Orval was a great family man and a loving father. He was preceded in death by his former wife, Joann Tidwell, of Wilmington, Delaware. He later remarried and is survived by his wife of fourteen years, Ramona Evans-Hager, of Carthage, Missouri; his children, Orval C. Hager III and wife, Donna Adams-Hager of Corpus Christi, TX, Robin Hager, of Clinton, TN, Lori Ann Johnson, Larry Conner Hager, and Richard Alan Hager of San Jose, CA, James A. Piunti and wife, Andrea Jones-Piunti, of Arlington, TX, and Gail Lauria, of Wilmington, DE. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Theresa Cresci of Wilmington, DE.
Orval was a social, active man who was deeply involved in music for the majority of his life. He sang in High School choirs and was a self-taught musician on guitar and organ. In later years, he was a tenor vocalist in the St. Petersburg (Florida) Opera Society, where he was praised for his voice in many of the company’s productions. He also enjoyed singing at local establishments and gained a following wherever he performed. His family and friends will always remember him as a happy, loving man, who surrounded himself with his loved ones, music and friends.
Services will be held at Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery on May 8, 2019 at 11:00 am. Military Honors will be rendered.
