John Orcutt

John Orcutt

John F. Orcutt, 57, Erhard, Minn., died Nov. 15, 2005. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at Underwood Unitarian Universalist Church, Underwood, Minn.

John Freeman Orcutt was born Feb. 17, 1948, at Elmhurst, Ill., the son of Ralph and Ferne (Aldrich) Orcutt. He grew up and attended school at Washington D.C. and Evanston, Ill. John attended UND in Grand Forks. He moved to Chicago, teaching in an inner city school, teaching troubled children. John then hitchhiked around the United States and Canada for one and a half years. After that he worked at the State Hospital in Jamestown, as an addiction counselor. John married Mavis Flemmer Aug. 19, 1978, at Erhard. They made their home in rural Erhard. John then worked at Fergus Falls State Hospital as a chemical dependency counselor and as a Behavior Analyst. He received his Masters Degree from MSUM, Moorhead, Minn. John became the director of a maximum security unit for delinquent adolescents, run by Catholic Charities in Fergus Falls, Minn. He was currently working as a family therapist at Prairie at St. John's, Fargo.

John was a guitarist, percussionist, steel pan player and vocalist for the band Island Time. He performed with Breeze, Midnight Flyer, Centerline, Woodskin and with Nita Velo.

Together with his wife Mavis, they built their earth sheltered home.

He is survived by his wife; mother, Ferne Orcutt, Bismarck; sister, Janice (Jim) Beck, Mandan; niece, Annie Marie Beck, Mandan; and nephew, Andrew John Beck, Mandan.

He was preceded in death by his father; and sister, Jane.

Memorials are preferred to Oxfam International, 26 West Street, Boston, Mass. 02111-1206 or ACLU, 125 Broad St., 18th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10004. Please sign the on-line guestbook at www.hansonrunsvold.com. (Hanson-Runsvold Funeral Home, Fargo)