Orvill L Pilgrim

Orvill L. Pilgrim entered this world on November 1, 1921, in Middleberg, OK. He had six brothers & sisters. Orvill outlived all of them. He attended Oklahoma A&M for two and a half years, but left college to enlist in the U.S. Navy in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Near the end of the Second World War, Orvill attended officer candidate school and was commissioned an ensign in June 1945. He completed his bachelor’s of science degree in business administration at American University in 1953. Orvill was at sea as an officer on an LST, destroyers (his favorite), and the battleship Wisconsin. The Navy stationed him in South Korea in 1960-62. Orvill served in the Navy for nearly 24 years, retiring as a Lt. Commander in September 1965.

Orvill married Inez (Johnnie) Rosenthal, a model from Oklahoma, in March 1948. They had two children: Joe & Gail. Following his retirement from the Navy, Orvill & Johnnie built their dream home near the American River in the Wilhaggin section of Sacramento, CA. Orvill worked for Sacramento County for a short time and then he and Johnnie worked as real estate agents for a time. They loved to camp, fish and cultivate their very productive vegetable garden. Orvill & Johnnie lived happily in their dream home for over 40 years until Johnnie’s sudden death in August 2010. Her death left Orvill very lonely and a bit lost without his best friend. Their son, Joe, had died of cancer in March 2006.

In November 2012, Orvill left California and relocated to Spokane, WA. He resided at Touchmark on South Hill, a beautiful independent living retirement community, near Gail and her husband, Tom, for over two years. Orvill thoroughly enjoyed music and dancing in his later years. He also maintained his interest in financial news and followed the San Francisco Giants. Orvill greatly appreciated the efforts of the caregivers who joined with Gail & Tom to help him 24/7 for over a year and enabled him to continue to reside in Touchmark’s independent living community until the final weeks of his life.

Heart failure took Orvill quickly and painlessly while he was having a stellar day. He left this world to join his wife and son in the care of our Heavenly Father on April 15, 2015.