Orville Arnold Rach, 82, of Hewitt, passed away June 30, 2008.
He was born Aug. 23, 1925, to Reinhardt and Lydia Rach in Bartlett Township, on the home place just west of the Bartlett Church (the now Gordon Denny farm). He helped farm along with his brothers after his father and oldest brother died in the 1930s. He enjoyed farming and taking care of livestock along with tinkering and making things. He married Joyce Mosher on Oct. 3, 1951, and they raised their three children on a farm two miles northeast of Hewitt.
He was a lifelong member of Immanuel Lutheran Church serving as a trustee and on the cemetery board for many years. He also was a member of Lutheran Brotherhood, AAL, serving as an AAL lamplighter for more than 20 years. He was also an active member of the Hewitt Lions Club.
After he retired from farming, he enjoyed and had a special knack for creating things out of steel. He created outdoor water furnaces, livestock feeders, automatic hitches for chopper boxes, planters, shepherd's hooks and plant stands. But one of the biggest thrills was making his one of a kind windmills, which are spinning and standing tall in many states from Canada to Florida to Montana to Illinois. Other creations are the concrete ice cream cone, Dutch windmill, large tool boxes with roller drawers, several metal animal sculptures, Mr. Peanut riding the bike, the only sunflowers that bloom year round, and the train with 10 cars and 500 feet of track.
He enjoyed playing dartball at the Bartlett church and slow pitch softball in his younger days against the Southwest Bertha team. He also served as church janitor for about 15 years, as working for the church was a pleasure for him. He built the railings in the church as well as the playground equipment there and in the Hewitt Park.
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He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, caring neighbor and friend. He was always looking for a way to help out in anyway he could. He would often make people smile and laugh when they needed it most. He will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed. His family will celebrate his life and the memories that he created will live in our hearts forever.
Funeral services were held Thursday, July 3, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Bartlett Township with the Revs. Al Jeske, Fred Kutter and Herman Hannamann officiating. Honorary pallbearers were the Hewitt Lions and Lioness. Pallbearers were Don Jackson, Steve Gaugert, Don McIntire, Bill Nokes, Ben Rudrud, Jeremy Payne, Arnold Kneisl and Gene Denny. Interment was at Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Bartlett Township, in rural Verndale. Arrangements were with Domian-Anderson Funeral Home in Bertha ( www.domian-anderson.com ).
Survivors include his wife, Leola Joyce; daughter Lori and husband Joe Ostrowski of Ironton; son Bruce of Hewitt; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by one son, Michael Thomas (in 1971); his parents, Reinhardt (in 1933) and Lydia (in 1989); and his brothers and sisters, Walter (1934), Harry Sr. (1983), Ernest (2008), Eleanora (1997), Melvin (1926), Sylvia (2006), Reinhardt Jr. "Bud" (in 2005), Norman (1970), Lawrence (1994), and Lester (1999).
