Orville Earl Harger

Orville Earl Harger was born June 7, 1937 early Monday morning, to Lowell and Leona Harger, the last of five children. Margaret, Frances, Jeane, Carrie and Orville. Orville always said he was “The Caboose” of the train. He was born S.W. of Monroe, IA in Marion City on a 2,000 acre ranch owned by Aetna Life Insurance Co. His father Lowell was the foreman in charge, living in the family farm house.

Orville started school in Osceola, IA at the East Ward School K-6, seventh grade at South Ward. He then moved to Garden Grove in southern Iowa with his parents and sister, Jeane. There he finished high school. He played trombone in the band from fourth grade through high school, plus football and basketball.

After graduation Orville followed his sisters to Des Moines where he was first employed on the Rock Island Rail Road as a yard clerk. He then joined the train crews from Des Moines to Manly, IA north of Mason City. He worked on freight trains for two months when the company asked him to take the Chicago Rocket to Chicago to be fitted into their Passenger Uniform where he worked almost daily from Des Moines to Minneapolis, MN and back. Sometimes doubling back out on freight. Orville also enjoyed working on “Work Trains” picking up derailments and snow plows. It was not long before he passed a Conductors test on freight trains followed by Passenger Conductor. He worked on the R.R. nearly 27-1/2 years before the wreck of a “Head on Head” train derailment in Altoona, IA. The engine he and the Engineer were on, went through the engine they met. Orville always claimed he came out of the wreckage without any broken bones because he knew God was with him as he had just previously prayed for his mother and daughter, Kinley.

Orville married Helen C. Lafferty of Thayer, IA on September 17, 1960, and immediately moved to New Brittain, CT where Kinley Wynelle Rose was born. He was honorably discharge from Army duties in Connecticut when his father was ill and needed help planting the farm crop.

Kinley was given a stillborn infant brother at the age of 9. Orville later married Helen L. Leidahl Evenrud of Clear Lake on July 22, 1978. She brought to the marriage five children, Bruce, Sheryl, Mark, Bonnie and Mike.

After railroading, Orville and Helen L. were employed as Manager of Budget Storage for over 20 years. Orville always enjoyed family gatherings, reunions, and having neighbors and friends over to play cards and marble games. He also enjoyed fishing, golfing, telling jokes, and traveling to different mountainous states for camping and making bonfires.

Orville and Helen joined Lutheran Church of Hope in January of 2006 where they hosted small group bible classes. Orville believed in Jesus Christ as Savior and the Word of God. He never knew a stranger, and was beloved by everyone he met, and always sharing a hug when he met someone for the first time.

Orville passed on Friday, October 29, 2021 and was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Carrie Mendenhall, Leroy and Carrie Harger; his parents, Lowell and Leona Harger; his sisters, Margaret and Frances; his wife, Helen; and his infant son.

Services will be held Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, IA at 10:00 a.m. with visitation one hour prior. Burial will follow at 11:00 a.m. at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel.

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