William Louis Orient

William Louis Orient was born on April 29, 1921 in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, the third son of John and Catherine (Weet) Orient. Bill's father was a farmer, blacksmith and coal miner, who was killed in a mining accident when Bill was 15 years old. Bill then ran the family farm while his older brothers took jobs around Bridgeville. When he turned 21 and the United States was embroiled in World War II, Bill enlisted in the Eighth Air Force and was assigned to the 93rd Bombardment Group stationed in Harwick, England. Trained as a radio operator, Bill flew 34 bombing missions over France and Germany as part of the 328th Squadron of B-24 Liberators. He was shot down or crash landed four times and survived to tell the tale. During a training stint at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base before shipping overseas, he met his future wife (of 65 years) Phyllis Rittman. The two were married in 1945 shortly after Bill's discharge, and they made their home in Tucson. Bill was the Southern Arizona representative for Standard Brands Foods for nine years before he started his own construction business, Aluminum Materials Company. He worked as a general contractor in Tucson for 40 years. Orient commercial buildings are distinctive along almost every major thoroughfare in Tucson, always with simple lines and an element of flare—an arch, a zigzag. Bill's residential designs invariably incorporated "used brick" (now called "antique brick"), Southwest colors and a flash of aluminum. An early Tucson environmentalist, Bill's workshop was lined with buckets for recycling various metals and types of glass. He dismantled broken appliances, used his lumber down to the quick, and even straightened bent nails. But if you called him an environmentalist, he would have chased you with a two-by-four. Bill's intensive work ethic, intelligence and creativity were generously passed to his succeeding generations. Bill is preceded in death by his sister, Beatrice; brothers, Joseph, John, Paul, James and George and daughter, Sandra. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis; four daughters, Jane, Susan, Betsy and Ruth; seven grandchildren, Paul, Jonathan, Jeremy, Eve, Noah, Emily and William; five great-grandsons, Cameron, Neil, Aaron, Alexander and Adam and sister, Florine. Bill died on his 90th birthday, April 29, 2011. Private burial arrangements are pending. No flowers please. Prayers welcome. Arrangements by HEATHER MORTUARY.