Orville Webb

Orville Webb
June 28, 1917 - Oct. 10, 2009
Orville Webb passed away peacefully in his home Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009, at the age of 92, after suffering a stroke. He was born June 28, 1917, in Chandler, Ariz., to Dorus Webb and Vangie Winn. One of 10 children, Orville grew up working in his family's dairies in Tucson and Mesa.
After high school he served on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ireland and Alabama. After returning from his mission in 1942, he married LuRena Merrill in the Logan Temple in Utah. He then joined the Army Air Corps where he served stateside as a pilot and a trainer and achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant.
After the war Orville left the service and moved his family to Farmington, where he and his brother Leslie started the Webb Brothers' Dairy. During the years, as they raised their nine children, Orville and Rena had several small businesses, and Orville had many side jobs. He was a scoutmaster for many years and held various positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Orville lost his beloved Rena in 1971 to cancer. He later married Yvonne Ward and moved with his three youngest children to Oxford, Colo., where he ranched and drove a school bus for the Durango School System. His marriage to Yvonne ended in divorce after five years and she moved to Oklahoma.
Orville enjoyed a brief career on stage at the local melodrama at the Abbey Theater. He also attended Fort Lewis College, served as a chaperone for the Japan Exchange Program and made several trips to Japan. In his 70s, he met and fell in love with Ruth Snyder. They spent 10 wonderful years together at Ruth's home in Bloomfield, where she spoiled him and he took her dancing almost every Saturday night. After Ruth's death from a stroke, Orville returned to the ranch at Oxford to live amongst the children and grandchildren who still live there.
Orville was a master storyteller and was most at home around a campfire in his beloved mountains, transfixing his audience with absurd, outrageous and terrifying tales. He could recite classic poetry from memory and knew the words to hundreds of songs. His quick wit, remarkable imagination and delightful sense of humor were evident to the last, despite his long struggle with Alzheimer's. He faced his life and his death with cheerful courage and profound gratitude.
He was proud of his family and we were all terribly proud of him. He was especially proud of his Senior Olympics Blue Ribbons in Polka and Western Two-Step. Sadly, he lived with one regret - that he was never more than mediocre at croquet.
Orville was preceded in death by his dear grandson, Tyler Curtis Ash.
He will be missed by many including his nine children, Farren Webb, Joyce Kohler, Stan Webb, Calvin Webb, Franceen Webb, Alice Webb, Ruth Ash, Ed Webb and Glenn Webb; his 24 grandchildren, 34 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Durango Hospice,
1 Mercado St., Suite 270, Durango, CO 81301, (970) 382-2000, to whom we are very grateful.
Viewing is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, at Hood Mortuary, 1261 E. 3rd Ave., in Durango, Colo.
Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Farmington.
After a brief ceremony, a celebration of Orville's life will be at the Fraternal Order of Police Hall just a few blocks north of the cemetery on Santa Clara Avenue just off of Mickey Drive.