Harold is survived by his 3 children - Delbert Ortwine of Howell, Cindy Carroll of Novi and Mark Ortwine of Royal Oak. He also leaves behind three grandchildren, Colleen Ortwine-Boes of Grand Rapids, Erin Miller of Belmont and Elizabeth Ortwine of Royal Oak and 5 great grandchildren.
Harold was a proud veteran of World War II. “Corporal Ortwine” served in the Army’s 592nd Field Artillery Battalion of the 106th Division “Golden Lions” and fought in numerous campaigns overseas including the Battle of the Bulge; receiving several prestigious awards and most recently, the French Legion of Honor.
Harold has lived in the Village of Novi since 1931, was Novi City's first mail carrier, working odd jobs that eventually led him to become one the first Engineering Test Lab Technicians at the GM Proving Grounds. After meeting a "pretty usherette" at the Walled Lake Movie Theatre, he eventually proposed and married Audrey (Geyer), personally built his home, helped raise three children, played sports, enjoyed hunting and fishing, joined the Free Masons, helped his neighbors whenever he could, enjoyed life with family and friends, retired and then sat back and watched Novi grow. Once asked if he missed the “good old days” he replied, “if waking up at 3am to tend to farm animals before walking 2 miles to school, having little food on your plate and wearing shoes with holes in them is the good old days; then no, I don’t! Having food on my table, a roof over my head and my family with me, is my “good days.”
We’ll all miss seeing Harold wearing his WWII hat, drinking coffee and chatting with “the guys” at various Novi restaurants on Saturday mornings.
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