Orris A.H. Kastella, 83
Orris A.H. Kastella, 83, passed away Jan. 15, 2009, in Whitefish.
He was born Sept. 25, 1925, in Whitefish, the second son of Anton and Dagny Kastella. Orris' father passed away in 1933, leaving his wife to raise their five children.
As the children grew they helped supplement their financial needs by doing odd jobs, building bicycles to sell, raising rabbits, selling seeds door-to-door and delivering newspapers twice a day.
Several summers, the boys traveled to Minnesota by train to work on an uncle's farm. Hearing the words "back to school" were words Orris did not want to hear or read, even in his later years!
In 1942, Orris worked on the section gang during the summer for the Great Northern Railroad. In 1943, he worked as a callboy to alert the train crews to their schedules.
In July 1944, he was inducted into the U.S. Army and served in New Guinea and the Philippines until his honorable discharge in August 1946.
Orris returned to Whitefish and was employed by the railroad, working in the yard office and the baggage room until his retirement in 1985. He also worked for Rocky Mountain Transportation.
Orris married Fern Jensen on June 27, 1953. They were blessed with three sons who grew up in Whitefish - Douglas, Jeffrey and Joseph.
Orris enjoyed biking, hiking, camping, skiing, flying and delivering Meals-on-Wheels. He really liked train rides, yard sales, attending pancake breakfasts, harvest dinners and chatting with friends.
He attended church as often as he could and put all his trust in the Lord.
Orris was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Norman and Melvin; and sisters, Esther and Irma.
He is survived by his wife, Fern; half sister, Ruby Osmon, in Austin, Minn.; three sons, Douglas and wife, Jennifer, Jeffrey and wife, Cynthia, and Joseph and wife, Susan; grandchildren, Heidi, Kyle, Ryan and Serena; stepgrandchildren, Melissa, Robert and Dale; great-grandchildren, Breyenne and Breyden; stepgreat-grandchildren, Taylor, Zachary and Melanie; sisters-in-law, Ettie Kastelle and Helen Harris; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on July 2 at Christ Lutheran Church, 5150 River Lakes Parkway in Whitefish, with Pastor John Bent officiating. A lunch will be served.
Friends and families are invited to join the family for the graveside service at 2 p.m. at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery in Kalispell. We will meet there.